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Photo of Bowties with wild mushrooms, baby spinach and pine nuts by WW

Bowties with wild mushrooms, baby spinach and pine nuts

8
Points®
Total Time
45 min
Prep
25 min
Cook
20 min
Serves
4
Difficulty
Moderate
Tender pasta cloaked in rich mushroom pan sauce sprinkled with Parmesan and pine nuts only seems off-limits. With a calorie count this low we must be dreaming! We employ a few key healthy tricks to develop flavor without added fat. Cooking the pasta in unsalted water with no added oil gets things off to a good start. Using a mixture of reconstituted dried mushrooms and fresh mushrooms sauteed with garlic adds contrasting textures and lots of earthy flavor. Thickening the deeply flavored mushroom soaking liquid with cornstarch gives it a saucy body that clings to the cooked pasta with no cream or butter required. Wilted spinach, toasty pine nuts, and rich Parmesan add color, crunch, and more flavor to this dinner homerun.

Ingredients

Dried mushrooms

½ oz, porcini or shitake

Mineral water

1 fl oz, boiling

Uncooked bow tie pasta

8 oz

Olive oil

2 tsp

Cremini mushroom

2 cup(s), sliced, sliced

Cornstarch

1 Tbsp

Mineral water

¼ fl oz, cold

Table salt

⅛ tsp, or to taste

Black pepper

⅛ tsp, or to taste

Spinach

5 cup(s), baby leaves

Grated Parmesan cheese

2 Tbsp

Garlic

2 clove(s), minced

Pine nuts

2 Tbsp, lightly toasted

Instructions

  1. Place dried mushrooms in a medium bowl and cover with 1 cup boiling water. Let stand 15 minutes. Drain mushrooms through a paper towel-lined sieve, reserving soaking liquid. Rinse mushrooms to remove any leftover grit and chop into small pieces; set mushrooms and soaking liquid aside.
  2. Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions without added fat or salt. Transfer to a large bowl and cover with foil to keep warm.
  3. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and fresh and dried mushrooms and cook until fresh mushrooms wilt and release juice, 3 to 5 minutes.
  4. Dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup cold water and add to skillet with the reserved mushroom soaking liquid. Simmer 1 minute, until sauce thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  5. Pour hot mushroom sauce over pasta, add spinach and toss to combine (hot sauce will wilt spinach leaves).
  6. Add Parmesan and pine nuts and mix well. Yields about 1 1/2 cups per serving.

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