Description
The chill of winter has set in, and there’s no better way to ease into the seasons than with a giant bowl of spicy and cheesy pasta.
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 lb of whole wheat or regular penne
- 25 ounces ounces favorite tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 ounces or 2 cups of fresh mushrooms, rinsed or 1 cup dried mushrooms (re-hydrating instructions below)
- 1/2 onion, chopped
- 2 Indian green chili peppers (or Serrano, jalapeño), minced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup Castello aged Havarti cheese, shredded
- salt and pepper to taste
- herbs for garnish (fresh oregano, basil, parsley) – optional
Instructions
- If using dried mushrooms, place in bowl covered with warm water for 10-20 minutes or until soft. Saving the soaking liquid, rinse the soaked mushrooms so there is no grit on them. Strain the soaking liquid of grit using a fine sieve or paper coffee filter. You can chop them into bite-size pieces or leave them if they are on the smaller side.
- Boil penne according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- While penne is boiling, heat olive oil in a pan under medium-high heat. When hot add in chopped onion. Fry until translucent, few minutes. Add in the green chili and chopped garlic. Fry until fragrant, a few seconds. Add in the mushrooms and salt to taste and saute for a few minutes. Add in the tomato sauce and 1/2 cup of the mushroom broth*. Heat through and simmer for a few minutes. Add in the cheese and mix well until melted and the sauce thickens a little. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with herbs and serve over penne.
Notes
save the rest of the mushroom broth to use in soups or other sauces
- Category: Main