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