Bowtie Spinach Pesto Pasta with Wild Mushrooms

I’ll be the first to admit that warm pasta may not be the perfect dinner item for my winter skinny jeans.  Every woman reading this recipe knows exactly what I’m talking about.  When eating pasta, this mysterious transformation overtakes our bodies—our waistlines become ever so snug and our stomachs—for some odd reason—appear to balloon to twice their normal size.  For me, this transformation can take place in as little as ten minutes.  Sitting with a fork in hand, I look down at my once flat stomach and groan—“c’mon now, what happened to you?!” 

But this Bowtie Spinach Pesto Pasta with Wild Mushrooms was totally worth it…tumefied tummies and all.

I’ve been cooped up at home grading my students’ research papers and working on The Fresh Table manuscript, and finally had a chance to taste test this recipe for the book.  Since everyone loves pasta—especially Captain Planet—I thought it would be the perfect easy lunch this past Saturday.  Yes, you make your own pesto, and yes, the bowties (traditionally called “farfalle”) make for the most formal of the pasta family, but the result is totally worth it.  Especially after grading 25 research papers, making your own pesto seems like a walk in a bowtie pasta park.

Pulse together fresh spinach with sweet basil, olive oil, Parmesan, and roasted pistachios for an even greener take on a regular Italian sauce.  The process is simple with its fresh green ingredients that the elegant results may have you forgetting your skinny jeans.

Bowtie Spinach Pesto Pasta with Wild Mushrooms

Just as peas make for a wonderful addition to any basic pesto recipe, so do fresh spinach leaves.  When making this recipe, I always use half a bag of spinach for the pesto—about two cups packed—and the other half for a starter salad.  Too much Spinach? Impossible!

Ingredients:

—Pesto—

*2 cups fresh spinach, packed

*1 cup fresh sweet basil, chopped fine

*1/2 cup fresh Parmesan cheese, shredded (not the parmesan in a can!)

*1 teaspoon kosher salt, can use more to taste

*1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, or more for seasoning

*1/3 cup basil olive oil, like the one from Vom Fass New Orleans, can use regular olive oil

*3 garlic cloves minced or pressed

*1/4 cup pistachios, chopped

—Pasta—

*1 (12 oz) box pasta, such as bowtie

*2 cups wild mushrooms

*2 tablespoons walnut olive oil like the kind from Fioré, can use regular olive oil

1.) Prepare pesto recipe by following the same instructions available on page___ for Pea Pesto.  Reserve pesto for tossing with pasta.

2.) Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  In order for your pasta to have flavor, the best rule of thumb is to do exactly what the Italians do: pasta water should taste like “sea water.”  In many ways, I find this advice to be dangerous as you can easily over-salt your cooking water.  But, the point is well taken: don’t be afraid to add more than a little salt to your cooking water.

3.) Add pasta to boiling water and cook uncovered until al dente (firm to the palette, but done).  Drain pasta and return to pot.

4.) While pasta is cooking, roast mushrooms in olive oil until tender.  Turn off heat.  (NOTE: it is unnecessary to wash fungi when cooking.)

5.) Toss bowtie pasta in spinach pesto and roasted mushrooms.  Serve and enjoy! Makes 8-10 servings.

–Helana Brigman