simple mushroom penne

Since beginning our baby led weaning journey I really haven’t had too much trouble getting Miss G. to eat her fruit and vegetables (tantrums, teething and moodiness aside of course).

Most days she happily tucks into whatever is popped onto her highchair tray and at the moment she’s going through a serious banana and mandarin phase. The moment she spots me peeling her favourite fruits for her she starts to giggle and kick with excitement. It’s really gorgeous to see her enjoy her favourites but I am mindful to keep including new foods so that we don’t fall into a food rut.

So today I decided to stir together a simple mushroom penne dish for Miss G’s. lunch to see how she enjoyed mushrooms.

This pasta sauce couldn’t be easier to prepare. Simply fry a few mushrooms and garlic in a little olive oil, add chopped tomatoes, passata, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, a good pinch of sugar, basil leaves and simmer for 5 minutes. With a little extra grated parmesan this pasta dish makes a gorgeous lunch or supper.

Miss G. loved the mushrooms smothered in the tomato sauce and devoured the pasta just like I knew she would.

To create this super simple pasta supper simply…

Begin by bringing a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook pasta according to packet instructions. Drain and set aside.

Prepare your mushrooms by removing the stalk, peeling and chopping.

Heat a little olive oil in a non stick frypan over medium-high heat, add mushrooms and fry until lovely and golden, a couple of minutes.

Add garlic and fry for a minute.

Add the chopped tomatoes, passata, basil leaves, balsamic vinegar, sugar and stir to combine.

Simmer for 5 minutes or so, just until the sauce has thickened slightly.

Add the cooked penne and stir to combine.

Serve with a little freshly grated parmesan and a few extra basil leaves.

simple mushroom penne

INGREDIENTS

500 grams short pasta (penne, fussili, rigatoni)

2 tbs olive oil

400 grams mushrooms, stalks removed, peeled and sliced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 can chopped tomatoes

500 ml jar passata

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tbs sugar

1 cup basil leaves, roughly torn plus extra to serve

To serve: freshly grated parmesan

METHOD

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil, add the penne and cook according to packet instructions. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a non stick frypan over medium-high heat, add mushrooms and fry for 2-3 minutes or until lovely and golden. Add garlic and cook for a minute. Add chopped tomatoes, passata, balsamic vinegar, sugar and basil leaves and stir to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Add the cooked penne and stir to combine. Serve with a good grating of parmesan and a few extra basil leaves.

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