Spinach Mushroom Spaghetti
No cream anywhere. The sauce is parmesan, olive oil and starchy pasta water, brought together off the heat.
Total: 30 minYield: 4 servingsMethod: Skillet
In this recipe
A sauce made from pasta water
The reserved cooking water is the most important ingredient in the list and the one most often poured down the sink. It is full of released starch, and that starch is what lets olive oil and parmesan combine into something that coats the pasta rather than sliding off it.
This is why step 8 says to take the pan off direct heat before the cheese goes in. An emulsion of this kind holds at moderate temperature and breaks over high heat, where the parmesan separates into strings and a slick of oil.
Browning the mushrooms
- Give them roomA single layer if the pan allows. Mushrooms are mostly water; crowded, they release it and simmer in it.
- Leave them aloneWait until they have colored underneath before the first stir. Constant movement stops a crust forming and gives the same stewed result as crowding.
- Salt them lateSalt draws water out. Adding it at the start guarantees the pan floods before anything browns.
Troubleshooting
| Problem | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| The sauce is oily and stringy | The parmesan went in over direct heat. | Pull the pan off the burner first, then add the cheese in stages, tossing as you go. |
| It is dry and claggy | Not enough pasta water, or it was added all at once and absorbed. | Add more a splash at a time while tossing. Keep back extra water for exactly this. |
| The spinach is khaki | Cooked too long. | One to two minutes, only until wilted. It keeps cooking in the residual heat. |
Spinach Mushroom Spaghetti
Mushrooms browned properly, spinach wilted into them, and a sauce that comes from nothing but parmesan, olive oil and a ladle of the pasta water. No cream.
- Vegetarian
- Main Dish
- Skillet
Cook’s checkpoint
- Frying oil
- 350°F / 175°C
- Chicken, thickest part
- 165°F / 74°C
Use a food thermometer. Color and time alone don’t confirm poultry is done.
Ingredients
Optional finish
Instructions
Notes
- Cremini or baby bella mushrooms give more flavor than white button mushrooms.
- There is no cream in this. The sauce is an emulsion of starchy pasta water, olive oil and parmesan, and it only holds while hot.
- Grate the parmesan yourself; pre-grated cheese is coated in starch and will not melt smoothly.
Cooking Mode
Questions
- Is this vegetarian?
- The ingredient list contains no meat, poultry or seafood. Parmesan is traditionally made with animal rennet, so anyone avoiding that should check their cheese.
- Can I add cream?
- You can, but the recipe is built the other way deliberately — the gloss comes from the starch emulsion. Cream makes a different, heavier dish.
- Why reserve more water than the recipe uses?
- It uses about a quarter cup but asks you to keep half. Sauces of this kind tighten as they sit, and having extra to loosen with is the difference between glossy and claggy.
