Creamy garlic mushroom spaghetti

Most of the blogs I post on here are just things I have made on the hop. Because, well, that’s my life! I do meal plan, but sometimes plans change or an idea will come to me with stuff I have left in the fridge. That’s the essence of this blog really. On this day we’d just got in from a busy day out and Artie was still out at his friend’s but me and Bea needed to eat, and quick… I hadn’t been shopping so we had to just use what we had in the fridge, which wasn’t much, apart from some mushrooms and cream.

Garlic mushrooms always remind me of my mum, as in the 1980s she would always order them. For me, they’ve never gone out of style. On holiday I did a bowl of them for a quick starter when my sis-in-law was there as she’s a veggie. For a basic bowl of garlic mushrooms, fry plenty of butter (or olive oil) until hot, add lots of garlic and mushrooms on a high heat, and maybe a splash of wine. A dash of cream is optional. Season well – with plenty of pepper especially. Finish with chopped parsley if you have it. All you need is some good crusty bread. This pasta dish evokes that classic, but made into more of a dinner by adding spaghetti. She loved it – hope you will too!

Prep time: 5 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes 
Serves: 4 people (2 adults, 2 kids)

Ingredients: 
350g wholewheat spaghetti
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons olive oil
Punnet of mushrooms, sliced – I used white mushrooms, but any are fine
Single or double cream, a generous splash – about 5 tablespoons
Splash of pasta cooking water
75g approx of Parmesan, grated
Salt and pepper

Instructions: 

1. Put a large pan of water on to boil and add some salt.
2. Whilst it’s coming to the boil, slice your garlic mushrooms.
3. Heat a frying pan and add oil. Once hot, add garlic and mushrooms. Toss them about on a fairly high heat but don’t burn your garlic. Add a knob of butter if you need to.
4. Once pasta water is boiling, add spaghetti. Cook till al dente, 1 minute less that it says on packet. Before it’s finished, use a mug to take out some water – about half full.
5. Grate your parmesan whilst mushrooms are cooking.
6. Add cream and seasoning to the mushrooms, now Parmesan, holding a little back. Let it bubble up.
7. Add drained pasta to sauce. Toss well. Taste and season accordingly. Add a splash of pasta water to keep it from going claggy.
8. Serve with more Parmesan on top.