fettuccini pasta is tossed with a spicy tomato cream sauce, sautéed mushrooms, tomato and spinach then topped with creamy, salty feta for a quick and easy meatless dinner.
This pasta you guys.
I have to tell you, I just cannot understand how pasta gets such a bad rep when it can taste this darn delicious. It’s affordable, it’s so incredibly versatile and it’s quick and easy. What’s not to like?!
This dish is a riff on one of my favorite Noodle & Co. pastas – their penne rosa dish. It’s long been one of my favorites. We used to live right down the road from one but since moving into our house are now a good 20+ minutes away so I almost never have it anymore.
The other day I got SUCH a craving for it that I decided it was high time I just come up with my own recipe for it.
Lucky for you guys because now I get to share it with you! I’m happy to say that it tasted better than I even remember it! It’s such a great combination of flavors.
You get a little bit of spice from the tomato sauce which is balanced so well with the cream and then the tender bite of all the veggies finished off with the slightly melted, creamy feta cheese. It’s just perfection.
If you want to add a protein to this dish, parmesan chicken tenders would be great or even some shrimp or simple baked tofu!
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fettuccini pasta is tossed with a spicy tomato cream sauce, sautéed mushrooms, tomato and spinach then topped with creamy, salty feta for a quick and easy meatless dinner.
Ingredients
For the Sauce:
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3–4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 medium onion, finely diced
- Two 15-ounce cans tomato sauce
- 1–2 teaspoons granulated sugar
- 1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how much heat you want)
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 – 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
For the Dish:
- 1 1/2 pounds fettuccine (I recommend fresh)
- 1–2 handfuls baby spinach, stems removed (more or less as desired, doesn’t need to be an exact measurement)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved (more or less as desired, doesn’t need to be an exact measurement)
- 1 cup sliced mushrooms (more or less as desired, doesn’t need to be an exact measurement)
- Pad of butter (~1 tbsp.)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 1/4 cup (or more!) feta cheese
- Chopped fresh basil
Instructions
For the Sauce:
- Heat the butter and oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat.
- Add the garlic and onions and saute for about 1 minute. Add in the tomato sauce, sugar, red pepper, salt and pepper to taste and stir. Lower heat to low and cook for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the cream. Add cheese, stirring to combine. If desired, run through a blender or food processor to smooth the sauce.
For the Dish:
- Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
- Meanwhile, add butter and oil to a non-stick saute pan over medium heat. Once butter has melted, add mushrooms, sautéing until they just begin to soften (about 5 minutes). Then add tomatoes and spinach sautéing for another 3-4 minutes or until spinach has wilted and tomatoes have softened. Remove from heat and set aside.
- Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce (adding some of the pasta water if needed to thin). Add in sautéed vegetables and toss to combine all together.
- Plate the pasta then top with feta and chopped basil.
Keywords: dinner, pasta, meatless, vegetarian
cream sauce recipe from food network, with a few tweaks.
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