Pasta with Mushrooms and Tomatoes
Life with Maple continues to be both fun and exhausting which means far less time for cooking. I used to spend most of my Sundays baking bread and cooking for the week but have done neither in far too long. Fortunately for Maple is the sweetest and greatest puppy ever so I don’t hold it against her. But I am looking forward to when we can comfortably let her roam the apartment without worrying. We still have made time for cooking but quick weeknight meals are becoming far more common for us.
This dinner is the perfect example of how to have something delicious and filling with just a few ingredients and basically no prep work. When I was in undergrad I started most meals by sautéing an onion, knowing while it cooked I could plan out the rest of the meal. For this one I knew I wanted to use up the mushrooms we had and while I cooked rummaged through the pantry to figure out how to make a meal of it.
Does anyone else find it exceptionally satisfying to cut mushrooms? The knife glides through them in the best way possible. They are soft enough that it cuts so easily but have just enough toughness that you can feel the weight oft he knife going through them. Maybe it’s just me, but I like cutting mushrooms way more than I like eating them (pretty apathetic about that part).
We keep a wide variety of diced tomatoes in our pantry and they make a great addition to any meal. I tossed in a can of tomatoes, some garlic and herbs, boiled the pasta, and voila, you have dinner! This is good as a standalone meal or can be had with some roasted veggies or salad. Perfect for when you want a quick meal after taking your puppy for a walk around the block!
- 12 ounce white mushrooms, sliced
- 14 ounce can diced tomatoes
- 8 ounces (1/2 box) pasta of your choice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Grated parmesan as desired
- In a wide skillet preheat olive oil over medium heat. Add mushrooms and garlic, cooking for 5-7 minutes until the mushrooms begin to brown.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside if finished before other parts of the dish.
- To the mushrooms & garlic add tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, and thyme. Cook for 10 minutes, until much of the liquid from the tomatoes has cooked off.
- Combine pasta and mushroom mixture and serve. Top with parmesan as desired.
