I think I’ve mentioned before – we can always eat pasta. It tends to be a go to. What’s not to love – easy and delicious and so many possibilities.

Today’s pasta started with me looking to see what veggies we had in the veggie drawer (seems like we’ve been eating a lot of meat lately, so a meatless meal seemed appropriate). Asparagus and mushrooms – two of my faves! With that, I decided to use spaghetti pasta and make a cream sauce.

I started by chopping and slicing the veggies.

In a skillet, I added some butter and garlic and allowed it to cook for a bit.

Then I added in the asparagus, first, as it takes longer to soften – followed by the mushrooms.

I had some chicken stock opened in the refrigerator, so I used that as the base for the sauce. If you wanted to go vegetarian, you could certainly use a vegetable stock (or even just some of the water from the pasta). For me, I could never do this dish vegan, though – I need the cheese!

I allowed the stock to come to a boil, then reduced the heat and added in the cream. I also added some romano cheese, which helps the sauce to thicken, as well.

Once the sauce had thickened a bit, I tossed in the pasta and stirred it well. Finally, I topped it with more Romano cheese.

This pasta was served hot (and, with a little more cheese – yes, I love Romano cheese!)

Mushroom and Asparagus Spaghetti

8-10 baby bella mushrooms, sliced
12-15 spears of asparagus, chopped
Spaghetti noodles, cooked
3/4 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 tbsp butter
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tbsp Umami seasoning
Romano cheese (grated finely)

• Cook pasta (I used enough for 4 -5 servings), set aside
• In skillet, melt butter and add garlic – cook for a few minutes
• Add in the asparagus (and seasonings) and let it cook for about 4 minutes, then add in the mushrooms and cook for another 8 minutes
• Add in chicken stock and bring to a boil
• Once boil is achieved, reduce heat and add in cream
• Grate some romano on top of sauce (maybe 3 tbsp) and mix through
• Allow sauce to simmer until it thickens some
• Toss in pasta, then add more Romano cheese, as desired