Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Peas & Mushrooms Shell Pasta

I made this for dinner this evening, and it was pretty dang good. 

Ingredients:
2-4 tablespoons olive oil
Half of a yellow onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
Half of a bell pepper, diced
1 package of mushrooms, sliced, approximately 2 cups
1 and a half cups of thawed frozen peas
2 cups of lower sodium chicken broth
1 lb. of medium shell pasta
1 tablespoon of margarine
Healthy smidge of dried thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Healthy dose of Parmesan cheese 

Bring a large pot to boil, drop the shell pasta, and cook to al dente. Drain and set aside. 

In a large skillet, heat up some olive oil on medium-high heat. Throw in the onion, carrot, and pepper and sweat it down until tender. Salt and pepper. 

After 7-10 minutes of doing that, reduce the heat to medium, throw in the mushrooms, lightly salt them, and cook for approximately five minutes.

Then pour in the stock and drop in the margarine and peas. Simmer for approximately ten minutes until the the liquid reduces by about half. After it has reduced, drop the heat to low or just turn it off. Then put the shell pasta into the skillet (or a pasta pot), so the liquid coats the pasta. Mix thoroughly and top with Parmesan (and/or a shredded cheese). 

4 comments:

Babe Runner said...

That sounds good. I'm trying it.

Quintilian B. Nasty said...

It was good. If you're wanting to add protein, some chicken breast or tuna would probably work. I think I'd go with some smoked sausage, however.

Babe Runner said...

Ooh, smoked sausage. That would work. I always buy frozen peas because they're cheap and super healthy and then I never know what to do with them except press the bag on my shins when they're sore after a long run. Been looking for a pasta-and-peas recipe for a while. Thanks, QBN

Quintilian B. Nasty said...

Thanks for reading and commenting, Babe.

Tonight I might try a recipe that is roasted brussel sprout leaves. I'm a fan of that mini cabbage.