Mushroom Spinach Pasta with Crispy Guanciale
A delicious and easy Mushroom Spinach Pasta made with a creamy parmesan sauce and crispy guanciale. A simple pasta dish that's comforting, full of flavour and perfect for busy weeknights.
Prep Time10 minutes mins
Cook Time15 minutes mins
Total Time25 minutes mins
Course: pasta
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 371kcal
- 14 oz penne pasta (400g/4 cups)
- 100 g guanciale
- 8 medium crimini mushrooms (chestnut mushrooms UK) thinly sliced (250g)
- 2 cups baby spinach (roughly 2 large handfuls/50g)
- ½ cup heavy cream (double cream UK) (120ml)
- ¾ cup Parmigiano Reggiano freshly grated (30g)
- ¼ cup reserved pasta water (60ml)
- Salt and pepper
Make the pasta sauce
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well.
Heat a large frying pan or skillet and fry the guanciale until it starts to brown and goes crispy. Spoon it out onto a plate and set aside.
Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente (about 8-10 minutes).
Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt to the same pan the guanciale was in and fry for a few minutes until all the moisture from them has evaporated and they start to turn golden.
Add the guanciale back to the pan with the mushrooms followed by the cream and ¼ cup (60ml) of pasta water. Simmer for for a couple of minutes and add the cooked pasta with the baby spinach.
Toss everything together keeping it on the heat until the sauce thickens slightly.
Turn off the heat and add the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, stir into the sauce then serve.
- Clean your mushrooms - to clean your mushrooms cut off the bottom of the stock and wipe them clean with a damp piece of kitchen paper or kitchen towel. Do not wash them or submerge them in water.
- Reserve pasta water - adding starchy reserved pasta water helps add flavour and creaminess to the sauce (without adding more cream). Make sure to reserve at least ¼ cup (60ml) before draining your pasta.
- Seasoning the sauce - Guanciale can sometimes be heavily salted some more so than others so it's important to taste the sauce before adding more seasoning.
- Variations - you can opt to add some fresh garlic (add it once the mushrooms are cooked for a few seconds) or use Italian sausage instead of guanciale or pancetta.
Calories: 371kcal | Carbohydrates: 75g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 2g | Saturated Fat: 0.3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.2g | Sodium: 6mg | Potassium: 223mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Calcium: 21mg | Iron: 1mg