Spaghetti with Fresh Tomatoes and Mushrooms

{Gluten Free, Dairy Free, Vegan}

An easy and quick meal, ready in only 20 minutes!

Last night, after I came home from taking my daughter Sophie swimming, I found myself in front of the fridge, looking for ideas on how to feed all of us in the shortest time possible. You see, after a certain hour, my son Phoenix starts sending signals of distress, in other words he is extremely tired and cries until bedtime. This usually gives me very little time to make dinner, or to get anything else sorted around the house.

So, I looked at the fridge and saw half a packet of mushrooms that seemed to have not much life left and I still had some tomatoes laying around. Tomatoes, mushrooms and 20 minutes? Well, that can only mean one thing! Pasta with tomatoes and mushrooms!

The sauce is extremely easy to make and usually cooks in only 10 minutes, same as the pasta. Put in a few more minutes for the chopping of the vegetables involved and voilà, dinner is served in under 20 minutes!

First of all, you need to boil the water for the pasta. To optimize the time, I usually boil the kettle and pour the boiling water in a large saucepan. While you wait for the water to boil, start chopping the vegetables and put in a large frying pan with some oil, garlic and parsley. This is your sauce, easy right?

Now all you have to do, is to cook some pasta in the hot boiling water and wait 10 minutes for the pasta and the sauce to be ready. I usually wash up any leftover plates and glasses I have around the kitchen while I wait. It’s a great way to make the most of those 10minutes! 😉 Once the pasta is ready, drain it and sauté with the sauce for a minute. Done! 🙂

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Ingredients (serves 2)

• 400g fresh juicy tomatoes
• 150g mushrooms
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil (plus extra to serve)
• A handful of fresh chopped parsley
• Salt
• 160g spaghetti (use Gluten Free if required)

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, bring some water to the boil and season with some salt.
2. In the meantime, chop all the tomatoes, the garlic, the mushrooms and the parsley.
3. In a large frying pan warm 2 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, add the garlic and fry for a couple of minutes. Add the chopped tomatoes, mushrooms and parsley. Season with salt and let it cook for around 10 minutes.
4. Pour the pasta into the boiling water and cook according to cooking instructions, usually around 9-10 minutes.
5. Drain the pasta and add to the sauce. Sauté for a minute, drizzle with a little extra olive oil and serve.

TIP: This recipe serves 2 people with plenty of sauce. The sauce would be enough to be used with double the amount of pasta, to serve 4 people. Just add a little extra olive oil at the end.