Some nights you’re just too tired or too busy to cook something from scratch. That’s when you’re glad that you’ve planned ahead!
This morning, I took some meat sauce out of the freezer. This is the same sauce I used when I made lasagna. You can find the meat sauce recipe on this post. It was thawed out by the time I got home!
I just warmed it up in a skillet, over low, while cooking my noodles.
Then I mixed it all together when the noodles were done! Topped with some Parmesan cheese and dinner on the table in no time!
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
Michelle Can Cook! 