Angel Hair Pesto w/Spinach, Mushroom & Sweet Tomato

  I loooooooove a great plate of pasta! Where did my inspiration for this recipe come from? Some kick ass pesto I just made and the rest was what I had in my fridge. Ha ha! That's how I usually operate on these impromptu weeknight meals. The tomatoes were a last minute addition and I'm so glad I added them. When you cook those sweet little tomatoes, a few will burst from the heat and others will stay whole and burst with sweetness in your mouth. Such a delicious surprise! Mushrooms & pesto are a classic pairing and since I had an abundance of spinach in the fridge, I figured I couldn't go wrong. (Not to toot my own horn, but I usually don't)

  This is a healthy, fabulous pasta that is packed full of flavor and couldn't be simpler! I promise you won't be disappointed.

Angel Hair Pesto w/Spinach, Mushroom & Sweet Tomatoes (Serves 3-4)

1/2 lbs angel hair (half of a package)
1/2 cup (or more) my Perfect Pesto
1 cup (about 20) sweet pear tomatoes
7 large crimini mushrooms, sliced thin
2 heaping cups fresh spinach
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt & Fresh ground Pepper
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella (optional)

 Boil the water for your pasta. Add a heaping spoonful of salt to season the water.

 In a large saute pan, heat about 1 Tbs olive oil over high heat. Add your mushrooms and saute about 3-4 minutes. Season with some salt & pepper.

Add your tomatoes. The smaller the tomato, the sweeter they usually are. There are beautiful.

Saute for a few minutes to give the tomatoes a chance to warm up and blister a bit. Toss in the spinach.

 This is the perfect time to toss in your angel hair. (If you choose to use a different pasta that cooks longer, throw it in the water earlier)

 Angel hair takes about 4-5 minutes tops. I scoop out my pasta directly from pot to pan and skip draining it in the colander. Add your pesto and toss. (Man! My pesto rocks!) The second the pesto hits the heat, the garlic lights up! I toss the pesto at the end because you don't want it to turn the pesto to loose it's vibrant color and you also don't want to cook the garlic in the pesto too much. It will alter the integrity of the pesto.

I folded in a little mozzarella for some added cheesy-ness, but it's not completely necessary. It just sounded good.

Serve and enjoy!!




Angel Hair Pesto w/Spinach, Mushroom & Sweet Tomatoes (Serves 3-4)

1/2 lbs angel hair (half of a package)
1/2 cup (or more) my Perfect Pesto
1 cup (about 20) sweet pear tomatoes
7 large crimini mushrooms, sliced thin
2 heaping cups fresh spinach
Olive Oil
Kosher Salt & Fresh ground Pepper
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella (optional)

 Boil the water for your pasta. Add a heaping spoonful of salt to season the water.

 In a large saute pan, heat about 1 Tbs olive oil over high heat. Add your mushrooms and saute about 3-4 minutes. Season with some salt & pepper.
Add your tomatoes. Saute for a few minutes to give the tomatoes a chance to warm up and blister a bit. Toss in the spinach.

 This is the perfect time to toss in your angel hair. (If you choose to use a different pasta that cooks longer, throw it in the water earlier)

Angel hair takes about 4-5 minutes tops. I scoop out my pasta directly from pot to pan and skip draining it in the colander. Add your pesto and toss. (Man! My pesto rocks!) The second the pesto hits the heat, the garlic lights up! I toss the pesto at the end because you don't want it to turn the pesto to loose it's vibrant color and you also don't want to cook the garlic in the pesto too much. It will alter the integrity of the pesto.

I folded in a little mozzarella for some added cheesy-ness, but it's not completely necessary. It just sounded good. Serve & enjoy!