I was thinking about my friend Susan tonight when I made this. She recently told me that she would love a cookbook with easy one-dish meals and lots of vegetarian options. Like us, she is not a vegetarian but would like to eat less meat, and I think there is a growing number of like-minded people out there. As Susan said “Flexitarian is the new black.” See why I like the girl?
This is a favorite from my rotation and comes from Cook’s Illustrated’s The Best 30-Minute Recipe. It is vegetarian, honestly takes 30 minutes to make, and the most exotic ingredient in it is dried porcini mushrooms, and you can leave those out if you can’t find them or can’t be bothered. Tonight I found that I did not have porcinis but did have dried oyster mushrooms and they worked just as well. You could also use whole-wheat pasta.
Creamy Skillet Penne with Mushrooms and Asparagus
Adapted from The Best 30-Minute Recipe
Serves 4
Printable version
1 tablespoon olive oil
10 oz. sliced white mushrooms
Salt and ground black pepper
1 shallot, minced
1/2 oz. dried porcini mushrooms, soaked briefly in warm water and minced (you can reserve the water to use below)
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme, or 1/4 teaspoon dried
6 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine (use reserved mushroom water for added flavor)
3-1/2 cups water
1 cup heavy cream
8 oz. penne (2-1/2 cups)
1 bunch asparagus, tough ends trimmed and cut into 1″ lengths
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Heat oil in a 12″ nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add white mushrooms and 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until mushrooms are browned, about 8 minutes.
Stir in shallot, porcini and thyme and cook until shallot has softened, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in wine and simmer until almost dry, about 1 minute.
Stir in water, cream, and penne. Increase heat to high and cook, stirring often, until penne is almost tender and liquid has thickened, 12-15 minutes. Add asparagus and cook until tender, about 3 minutes more.
Off heat, stir in Parmesan and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve.
Thanks Susan for the sparking the idea. This is going into my repertoire.
Hi Kate,
I love your blog !!!!
When I click on the “print version” of the penne with mushrooms and asparagus, it doesn’t take me to a print version.
Thanks for coming over to Cooks Illustrated bulletin board to let us know you are doing this.
I’m looking forward to your review of Pam Anderson new book.
Thanks,
Katharine
Thank YOU Katherine! I think I’ve got that link fixed now but thanks for letting me know!
Kate! I am of course touched that you made this thinking of me, and it sounds YUMMY! I will give it a go, and Benjamin will just have to pick out the veggies! Haha! I am also going to check out this book, because the “30 Minutes” part is SO me! Thanks so much, really!
Also, I bet you could throw some chicken in there too for the “must have some protein” people (like someone I know who shall remain nameless but he is my husband) or serve it along with a piece or two of chicken for that matter. Nice dish, flexitarian or not!
Just made the dish tonight. It was a huge success! The husband loved the mushroom flavor and the kids loved the asparagus (well, 3 out of 4 ain’t bad). Thanks! Looking forward to the next meal from this blog!
Mary, I”m so glad you liked it! Thanks for reporting back.
Mmmm, sounds delicious!
Thanks Meredith! I just checked out your blog and it is so amazing! I can only dream of taking pictures like that some day.
Thanks for stopping by!
This looks delicious! At the mom of triplets I need as many 30 minutes recipies as I can find. This Thanksgiving I ended up with two turkeys. I brined and roasted second one yesterday. Because of the brining it is moist and delicious reheated with a just a splash of stock. A little turkey and this pasta will make a wonderful Sunday night dinner. I might reduce the cream and add some Gorgonzola or the like. Just a thought.