Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Mushroom Parmesan Pasta AKA: home alone female meal


I went through a pasta craze a while back, while mike was away on one of his travels. Since it was just me, Nia and Mae were already in bed, I just had to come up with something for myself, and had already exhausted the cereal/sandwich/salad routine...so I tried a few different versions and this is my favorite. I don't usually have cream on hand, but it sure came in handy for these pastas..yum!
This is another one of those throw as you go recipes, so, just make according to your tastes.

Mushrooms
cream
butter
salt, pepper
fresh parsley
pasta, whatever you have on hand
onion
parm. cheese (I used the real stuff in the zipper bag)

Start by boiling water for pasta.
In separate pan, put a pat of butter, and a drizzle of olive oil. Heat over med-high and add a handful of onions and as much mushrooms as you like, sliced. Cook till onions are softened and mushrooms are golden. Stir in 1/4 c cream or so, and a small handful of cheese. Add un-rinsed pasta. (if you rinse the pasta, you rinse the starch off, and the sauce doesn't stick to the pasta, and the starch adds a creamier, thicker texture to your sauce)
Stir and if the sauce is too thick, add a little pasta water to thin. Top with fresh parsley chopped and a sprinkle or two of the cheese. Voila! Super easy and fast!