Garlicky Spinach Pasta with Mushrooms

Happy Monday!

Have you woken up from your food coma yet?  I have, but just barely.  BARELY.

We had a great weekend, and I'm not going to lie when I say that we weren't exaaaactly ready to come back to work today.

Also, it's Jay's birthday.  So, we wanted to stay home and celebrate via daydrinking.

Duh.

This pasta, though, will totally cure your case of the Mondays - I promise.  It's also incredibly easy and requires very little prep, so let's get right to it!

Here's what you need:

• 4 servings (according to the box) long pasta such as fettuccine
• 2 pints cremini or white button mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon anchovy paste
• 1 teaspoon (or more, if you can handle it) crushed red pepper flakes
• 4 large cloves garlic
• 1 cup white wine
• 4 cups fresh spinach leaves, washed
• parmesan cheese, for serving

This is so delicious, I might make it for dinner this week.  To start, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Cook it to al dente, then drain it to add to the sauce.

While the water is coming to a boil and the pasta is working, cut the mushrooms in half or into quarters.  Preheat a large skillet to medium heat.

Add the mushroom and 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan.  Let them cook and brown for 10 minutes until they are nearly cooked through, stirring once or twice.  Don't salt the mushrooms - it'll slow down the browning process AND the anchovy paste is super duper salty.

While the mushrooms are cooking, peel and mince the garlic.

When the mushrooms are brown and cooked, add the anchovy paste, garlic, and crushed red pepper to the pan.  Stir together for one to two minutes just until the garlic starts to soften. Then, add the wine!

Let the wine bubble and reduce by about half until the sauce is slightly thickened.

Right before serving, add the cooked pasta and spinach to the pan.

Toss everything together with tongs or two large spoons, and zing!  Done.  Taste this, and add more salt if you'd like.  Since my pasta water was super salty and the anchovy paste had so much salt I didn't add any, but you might want an extra sprinkle.

When the spinach has just slightly wilted, serve this with lots of parmesan cheese.  Have seconds to congratulate yourself on eating all these veggies on a Monday.

Enjoy this, guys!  It's a great recipe to have on hand for nights when you need dinner fast, and you can mix up the veggies and greens any way you like.