Last updated on October 16th, 2018
This is quite possibly one of the best pastas I have ever tasted. Ever. If I was ever delusional enough to own/run a restaurant, this would definitely feature on the menu. But I like to think that I’m not delusional and I can just post it here instead. Genius. It’s simple and rustic yet full of taste. It’s got loads of onions (caramelised with red wine uh huh uh huh!), Thyme, mushrooms of course, and then cheese – Gorgonzola and Pecorino. So you have the sweet from the onions, savoury from the mushrooms, a herb and a spice (cayenne) and then this incredibly strong, rich combination of cheeses. It screams French Country, especially when you couple it with brown penne and a glass of aged red wine and sprinklings of fresh Thyme. Hungry??
With ten minutes of preparation and roughly 20-25 minutes on the stove, this is a quick and easy vegetarian option for Meatless Monday or any other day of the week!
My first option would be a basic green salad – they generally compliment pasta dishes really well! You have the heaviness/ richness from the pasta and the lightness from the salad. The temperature difference also works and they’re pretty quick and simple to make.
Let me know in the comments what you thought?
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Rustic French Onion and Mushroom Pasta
Prep Time: 10 mins- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 30 mins
Yield: 4 1x
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Pin RecipeDescription
Creamy caramelised onion, mushroom and cheese sauce with wholewheat penne pasta – a perfectly easy vegetarian meal for meatless Monday.
Ingredients
- 2 onions, sliced
- 4Â tablespoons butter
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 punnet Portobellini mushrooms (small brown ones)
- 2 small garlic cloves (or 1 large), minced
- 3–4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
- 1 1/4 cup cream
- 1/4 cup Gorgonzola cheese, firmly packed
- 1/4 cup Pecorino cheese (or Gruyere), firmly packed
- salt and pepper
- 2 1/2 –3 cups raw wholewheat penne
Instructions
- In a medium-sized frying pan, add the onions, butter and sugar and cook until soft and translucent.
- Add the wine and cook until it has all evaporated and the onions are beautifully caramelised.
- Add the garlic, mushrooms, cayenne, and thyme and cook until the mushrooms are done, being careful not to burn the garlic.
- Add the cream and the cheeses and allow to melt.
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Cook 2 1/2 – 3 cups raw penne, drain and then add to the sauce.
- Garnish with fresh sprigs of Thyme and enjoy!!!!
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