It’s hard to believe that this pasta dish is so packed with health benefits! It’s so creamy, delicious, and comforting, yet dairy free, gluten free, and easily made vegan. Mushrooms are one of the most powerful and versatile super foods. They are one of the few vegan sources of protein, iron, vitamin D, and B vitamins but also contain fiber, calcium, selenium, and copper as well as Immune Boosting natural antibiotics and antioxidants. Mushrooms have many other health benefits also such as helping to prevent cancer, lower cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar, promote weight loss, and keeping skin and hair youthful, and healthy! And this recipe is so easy!
Saute sliced mushrooms and chopped onions in olive oil over medium heat in a large pot until cooked to your desired tenderness. Add 2 rounded tablespoons of flour (I used Bob’s Red Mill gluten free 1 to 1 baking flour blend). Stir and allow to cook for a few minutes. I then added a large rounded tablespoon of chicken better than bouillon (if you want to make it vegan you can either add vegetable better than bouillon, use a vegetable stock and omit the water, or omit this step altogether). Add several cloves of smashed roasted garlic (I probably used about 12) and about 2 cups of water. Stir well to deglaze and allow to thicken. I then added about 7 dashes of tamari and 7 dashes of worcestershire (to keep it vegan, use vegan worcestershire or omit it and use more tamari). Stir over low heat and add about a cup (give or take) of water if necessary for a very thick gravy like consistency. Add parsley, himalayan pink salt, and coarse black pepper to taste, and a large rounded tablespoon of vegan margarine if desired. Keep warm on low heat and stir occasionally while you start a separate pot of water to boil for the pasta. Cook the pasta according to directions in salted water (I used Barilla gluten free spaghetti). Add about a cup or so of pasta cooking water to the mushroom sauce until it is the consistency of a creamy gravy. Drain pasta (saving some of the pasta cooking water on the side in case you need it) and add pasta to the sauce. Stir and allow to incorporate over low heat. It will thicken slowly. Add some of the pasta water if necessary. Once it is at a creamy consistency, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes before serving ( it will continue to thicken slightly once removed from heat and begins to cool a bit). This is such a versatile recipe that you can experiment with according to your personal preferences!
