Red Pepper Pasta with Mushrooms and Spinach

I love carbs. It’s true.

Red Pepper Pasta with Mushrooms and Spinach from www.whatsgabycooking.com

As a child I literally only ate pasta and grilled cheese until I was seriously 13 years old. If I kept it going, I probably would have turned into a noodle. At least that’s what everyone used to tell me. I was almost impossible to take to dinner unless there was a simple pasta on the menu or a grilled cheese. Considering what I’ve turned into 10+ years later, this is really weird to me. I mean I am an equal opportunity eater nowadays, but like I said, that wasn’t always the case.

Back when I was a little munchkin I would only eat pasta with a little olive oil or butter, some sautéed garlic and salt and pepper. Oh and it had to be doused with a decent amount of Parmesan cheese too. It was glorious. I was a happy kid. And these days I still love pasta just as much, but clearly I’ve branched out a bit and taken things up a few notches.

Red Pepper Pasta with Mushrooms and Spinach from www.whatsgabycooking.com

This most recent pasta creation has been a staple in my house. It’s some freshly made pasta coated with the most finger licking good sauce ever. It’s made up of roasted red peppers, garlic, a touch of olive oil and red wine vinegar and then salt and pepper. It doesn’t get much easier than that. Especially because all you have to do it throw it all into your blender or food processor and call it a day. It’s brilliant. Bright. Flavorful. And I’m seriously obsessed.

Red Pepper Pasta with Mushrooms and Spinach from www.whatsgabycooking.com

I threw it in with some seriously sautéed mushrooms and some wilted spinach. The result – so freaking good. I wanted to eat the entire thing in one sitting. But I refrained, and instead hid it from my husband in the back of the fridge and ate it for lunch for like 4 days in a row. If you wanted to get extra jazzy, you could stir in some cheese like my all time fav Burrata or the classic Parmesan – but it really doesn’t need it. The sauce has enough flavor to work on just about anything and you’ve totally got to make this. It’s simple enough for a quick weeknight meal but also fun and gorgeous enough for a weekend dinner party too.

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Red Pepper Pasta with Mushroom and Spinach

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 10 ounces mushrooms, any variety will work, cut into thin slices
  • 6 ounces fresh spinach
  • 3 roasted red bell peppers, either jarred or roasted and skins removed
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp pepper
  • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
  • 10 ounces dried pasta

Instructions

  1. Bring a large pot of water to boil.
  2. Heat the 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a heavy bottom skillet over medium high heat.
  3. Add the mushrooms and saute for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are golden brown and caramelized. Reduce the heat to medium and add in the fresh spinach. Depending on the size of your pan, you might need to add the spinach it batches. Stir the mushrooms and the spinach together until the spinach has wilted. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
  4. In a blender or food processor, combine the roasted red bell peppers, garlic, salt, pepper, remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and vinegar. Blend for 1-2 minutes until the ingredients become smooth. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add the sauce to the pan with the mushrooms and spinach and stir to combine.
  5. Add the pasta to the boil water and cook according to the package directions. Once the pasta is cooked, reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta. Add the cooked pasta and remaining water to the mushroom mixture and toss to combine. Adjust salt and pepper if needed and serve.
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30 thoughts on “Red Pepper Pasta with Mushrooms and Spinach”

  1. LOL…thats the only way my kids eat pasta..olive oil,butter and salt and pepper..THATS IT! I am hoping they will grow out of it soon :)
    I would scraf down several bowls of this!

    Reply

  11. Oh my goody goody gumdrops! My boyfriend is out of town for two weeks on work stuff leaving his pasta obsessed pregnant girlfriend to fend for herself. This will certainly be at the top of my ‘cooking for one and eating it for 4 days in a row because it looks scrumptious’ list. win!

    Reply

  17. I made this on Tuesday because it looked delicious and simple. And it really was! I wasn’t measuring so I think I put too much vinegar in the sauce but I put some sugar, more garlic and oil in and it still turned out. Thank you, I’ve been having the leftovers for lunch too!

    Reply

  18. Made this for tonight’s dinner. I added crushed red pepper flakes and served Parmesan cheese on the side. It was very good and the most beautiful color!

    Reply

  19. So.. is the olive oil divided? One tb in the blender, one in the pan to sautee? I have no idea what to do when it comes to being in the kitchen….

    Reply

  20. Just made this the other night (and noshing on it for lunch) and loved how easy it was! Love the blog and will definitely be cooking up some more of these recipes in the future!

    Reply

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  22. Another home run! This was so simple, and absolutely deeeeee-LISH. I’m jealous that my husband gets to have it for lunch today!!

    Reply

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  24. Made this tonight after finding it on Pinterest. What a great dish! I didn’t need the 1/2 cup of water and was short one pepper. (The jar I bought only had two…skimpy!) This was so light and tasty, yet filling at the same time. Also, I might add that we are currently living in corporate housing with minimal kitchen supplies. My immersion/stick blender worked perfectly for the sauce, so don’t be put off by the blender/food processor requirement. I’ll be adding this to the regular rotation! Thanks!

    Reply

    • so glad you loved it!! And yes – immersion blenders are basically the best invention ever huh? Especially when you have limited kitchen space!

      Reply

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