Pasta Primavera with Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Spinach, and Feta

I have to start by apologizing for not having mouth-watering photos for you, a la Pioneer Woman. I want to start posting recipes regularly, so I guess I’ll have to make dinner earlier to take advantage of the natural light in the kitchen and get some good photos… because everyone knows, the photos make the recipe!

I am going to crown myself the Official Unofficial Spokesperson for Trader Joe’s. Because I am in love with that place and every single thing that I can buy there. We didn’t have one in Louisville until this past year, so it’s a new discovery. I am crossing my fingers that they build another one closer to my house so I can go there even more often and buy even more things. Why do I love it? They have EXCELLENT prices, their food is of great quality and doesn’t contain artificial junk and preservatives, they offer a huge variety of organic items at low prices, and everything I’ve had from there tastes amazing! Did I mention excellent prices?

Anyway, on to the recipe.

I was craving pasta a couple evenings ago, so I tossed together a pasta primavera, with the main ingredient being baby Portabella mushrooms.

I started by boiling a pot of water and cooking a box of Penne pasta while I was doing everything else.

I coated my pan with olive oil, turned it up to medium hear, and added a bunch of minced garlic – because a meal isn’t a meal without garlic.

I let the garlic cook for 30 seconds, and then added my mushrooms. I let them cook for about 8 minutes, stirring them around pretty often. I like them to get golden brown on both sides. Once they looked like they would taste delicious, I threw in a carton of grape tomatoes. When I make this again, I will use about half the amount I used this time, and I will slice them in half. They were just a little big and a bit too much for my taste. Note: You could definitely get away with using a can of diced tomatoes here!

I gave the tomatoes a few minutes to warm up. Don’t overcook them! You want them to be warm but not shriveled and squishy.

When they were warmed up, I threw in a bag of baby spinach. I tossed it around for a few minutes, letting it wilt. Then I added a little salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning to taste.

After the spinach wilts and you have added the seasoning, it’s time to get it out of the pan before the spinach turns to green goo. By now your pasta should be cooked and hopefully you have drained it, put it in a bowl, tossed it with a little olive oil, and it’s ready for you to pour your mushroom mixture over top.

After you add the contents of the pan over your pasta, Sprinkle a bunch of crumbled Feta cheese all over the top. Feta cheese makes my world a happier place. If you don’t like feta cheese, you can use Parmesan.

If you’re like me, you need bread with your pasta. Yay for carbs!

Trader Joe’s has an excellent Naan bread that comes frozen but cooks in just a few minutes, so that’s what we had with the pasta.

Everyone liked it a lot. Jace even ate some mushrooms and spinach. Then again, the kid will eat anything!

Pasta Primavera with Mushrooms, Tomatoes, Spinach, and Feta

Prep Time: 1 minute

Cook Time: 12 minutes

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

1 lb. sliced baby Portabella mushrooms

8 oz. grape tomatoes, sliced lengthwise

1 bag baby spinach

4 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp. olive oil

6 oz. Feta cheese (or Parmesan)

1 lb. Penne pasta (or any other pasta)

Step-By-Step:

1. Boil pasta.

2. While pasta is boiling, add olive oil and garlic to skillet or large pan and cook over medium heat for 30 seconds.

3. Add mushrooms. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until they are golden brown, about 8 minutes.

4. Add tomatoes. Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring often.

5. Toss in spinach. Stir around until it wilts, about 3 minutes.

6. Drain pasta and add to large bowl. toss with a bit of olive oil if you want so it’s not so sticky.

7. Pour mushrooms, tomatoes, and spinach over top of pasta.

8. Top with Feta cheese.

Serve immediately and enjoy!