Cheesy Baked Pasta with Spinach & Mushrooms

It’s been a WHILE since my last savoury recipe! There’s two reasons they’re making a comeback. One, I really can’t be trusted with a freezer full of dessert and no one to share them with, and two, a girl’s gotta eat cheese. I’ve been making this pasta for years and I even shared a similar mini mac and cheese recipe some time ago. But when we were lucky enough to get some mushrooms this week and had a small bunch of spinach in the fridge as well as mozzarella, I knew it was time to make an amped up comforting pasta dish for the blog (and mainly for me).

It’s saucy, it’s cheesy and it’s not terribly rich despite all that. It’s also easy to make, the leftovers taste great and this is basically the gift that keeps on giving.

I like to think of the sauce as a lightened-up bechamel or alfredo or as I grew up calling it, ‘a white sauce’. It doesn’t have any cream and has a restrained amount of cheese which you can even reduce further if you prefer. Whole milk and a tablespoon of cream cheese make it miraculously creamy anyway.

Garlic, salt and pepper season all three components: the mushrooms, spinach and sauce. That’s basically all you need and feel free to use whatever pasta you have on hand. I like wholewheat penne or fusili the most, but anything goes. Same for the cheese, while I happened to have stretchy, gooey mozzarella, you can also go with cheddar or any other firm cheese that can be grated.

The baking step in this pasta is optional. Once it’s all mixed up with the sauce, I like to stick it in the oven for about 10 minutes with extra cheese on top for some melty goodness, and to sort of bring it all together. I don’t always do this though, so no pressure. If I have stale bread, I turn a couple of slices into breadcrumbs and throw those on top too for a crunchy lid! Have I mentioned you can pretty much add or remove anything you want?

It’s warm, it’s gooey and it’s basically a hug in a bowl. Since it has a few different components, it takes a little over an hour to put together, but none of it is hard to do and you don’t need ten different dishes either. Win!

I hope you’ll try this today. Stay in and stay safe!

Cheesy Baked Pasta with Spinach & Mushrooms

Penne pasta in homemade bechamel sauce with sautéed mushrooms and spinach

Prep Time: 30 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr

Makes: 4 to 5 servings

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Ingredients

  

• 2 and 1/2 cups uncooked pasta (I used wholewheat penne)
• 2 tbsps olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 200 gms button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 small bunch spinach leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsps butter, salted is fine
• 2 tbsps all-purpose flour
• 2 and 1/2 cups whole milk, at room temp
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tbsp cream cheese, at room temp
• 3/4 cup grated mozzarella or cheddar plus 1/4 cup extra if desired
• Salt and pepper as needed

Instructions

• First, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and let it cook uncovered till 'al dente': soft but with a bite and not mushy.
• While the pasta is cooking, add 1 tbsp olive oil to a sturdy pan on medium to high heat. Add half the garlic, saute for a few seconds, then add the mushrooms. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and stir to combine. The mushrooms will release water, which will evaporate and the mushrooms will then turn golden brown, all in about 5 minutes. Once done, tip them into a bowl.
• Now add the remaining 1 tbsp olive and garlic to the pan, followed by the spinach along with salt and pepper. Cook the same way until the spinach has wilted and the water has evaporated. Tip into the bowl with the mushrooms.
• By now, the pasta should be done. Drain, rinse with cool water and add it back to the pot you cooked it in. Set aside.
• To make the sauce, add butter to the same pan, on low heat. Let it melt, then add the flour, stirring to make a thick paste of sorts. If it clumps, keep stirring, and slowly pour in a little of the milk. Whisk it all together continuously (a balloon whisk is ideal here), till the clumps break up and the liquid appears smooth. Pour in the rest of the milk and add the garlic powder (or more fresh garlic if you prefer), followed by salt and pepper. Let the milk begin to gently simmer, then add the cream cheese and cook till the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, and is at a very gentle boil.
• Then add the grated cheese and turn off the heat. The sauce will thicken further at this stage. Pour it it over the cooked pasta, then add the mushrooms and spinach. Stir well to combine. Taste and add more salt or pepper as needed.
• At this stage it's basically ready to eat but if you want to make it extra yum, now's the time to bake. Preheat the oven to 170 C. Tip all of the pasta into an 8 inch square baking dish, top with the extra 1/4 cup cheese. Bake for 10 minutes until the cheese has melted, and longer if you want it browned.
• Let the pasta rest for 5 minutes, then dig in! Cool leftovers and store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. It should also freeze well. Happy cooking!