Vegan balsamic mushroom pasta

Vegan balsamic mushroom pasta

vegan balsamic mushroom pasta

Hello from the land of the living. It has taken me almost a week to recover from a nasty cold, but I am finally out of bed and so happy to be out! I am not feeling well enough to resume running yet – in fact, running with a scratchy throat is what precipitated my illness, I am pretty sure. As soon as I returned home from my run, I was horrified to see my eyes shine like two high voltage bulbs back at me in the mirror…So I am sitting tight until I feel 100% well. I will ease myself in with some gentle yoga until I feel ready for a high energy workout. Hopefully next weekend!

I was especially gutted to be sick last weekend as Duncan and I had a beginner Lindy Hop course booked and we had been looking forward to it so much. Duncan went by himself and had an amazing time. He learned a bit of Lindy Hop as a twenty year old but wasn’t that into it at the time. This time he loved it and and he seems to be quite good at it already given he has only had about 8 hours’ tuition. He showed me the basic steps and I have been practising a little, with the cat looking on, alarmed. The Lindy Hop beginner’s playlist has been playing in our house since Saturday and I am absolutely set on being well for the next beginner course.

When I was ill I was looking forward to cooking some comfort food, so today’s recipe is all about comfort. I don’t know about you but for me pasta is one of those dishes I gravitate towards when I want something simple, filling and satisfying. It’s the best thing ever. When the idea first occurred to me, I made this balsamic mushroom pasta completely in a frying pan (so you can if your oven is broken or it’s too warm to put it on – hello Oz readers!!), but later decided to try baking the mushrooms instead.

My conclusion is that getting them done in an oven is much nicer and also hands off, meaning you can practise ‘rock step, triple step, triple step’ (or something else if you are not into that 😉 ) while half of your dinner is taking care of itself. Then all you need to do is cook some pasta and make a super quick sauce to coat your pasta in. It takes no time at all and the result is really delicious. Duncan was a massive fan of this one and I hope you will be too.

vegan balsamic mushroom pasta marinade

vegan balsamic mushroom pasta mushrooms

vegan balsamic mushroom pasta bowl

vegan balsamic mushroom pasta side

serves
3
PREP
15 min
COOKING
30 min
serves
3
PREPARATION
15 min
COOKING
30 min
INGREDIENTS
  • 350 g / 12.5 oz chestnut mushrooms, cut into 7 mm / 0.25″ slices
  • 45 ml / 3 tbsp olive oil, divided
  • approx. 45 ml / 3 tbsp quality balsamic vinegar*
  • 1 tsp maple syrup
  • 3 garlic cloves, 2 finely diced, 1 grated
  • a few springs of fresh thyme or ½ tsp dry thyme
  • ½ tsp smoked sweet paprika, plus more to serve
  • freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 3-4 tsp soy sauce or tamari (I used all purpose and mushroom soy sauce) or salt, to taste
  • 200 g / 7 oz spaghetti (GF if needed)
  • 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
  • toasted walnuts, chopped, or walnut crumb, to serve (optional)
METHOD
  1. Warm up the oven to 220° C / 425° F (if using fan setting, decrease the temp by 200° C / 390° F) and grab a lasagne-size baking dish. You can use a baking tray, but not one that gets misshapen in high heat or else all the juices will run to one corner and burn (I know from experience 😛 ).
  2. Place sliced mushrooms in the baking dish and put into the oven for about 10 minutes – until the mushrooms release their natural juices and most of these juices evaporate.
  3. While the mushrooms are baking, put 1 tbsp of olive oil, approximately 3 tbsp balsamic vinegar, 1 tsp maple syrup, a grated garlic clove, fresh or dry thyme, ½ tsp smoked paprika, soy sauce (or salt) and pepper in a small bowl. Mix well and set aside.
  4. Stir balsamic marinade through partially-cooked mushrooms and return the dish into the oven for another 10-15 minutes, giving them a stir halfway through. When done, the mushrooms should be fully cooked and there should be a little bit of thickened marinade still left in the dish.
  5. Cook pasta short of al dente, drain reserving about 60 ml / ¼ cup of pasta cooking water.
  6. Heat up a large frying pan on a low heat. Once hot, add oil and allow it to warm up before adding 2 finely chopped garlic cloves.
  7. Sauté the garlic on a low-medium heat, until fragrant but do not let it brown. Stir the entire time.
  8. Add approx. 2 tbsp pasta cooking water and nutritional yeast. Stir well to emulsify, season with a generous amount of salt and pepper.
  9. Toss the pasta in the ‘cheesy’ sauce quickly. Then add baked mushrooms to the pan, together with all the pan juices – I like to use 1 tbsp of pasta water to deglaze the baking dish to capture all of the delicious flavours. Mix well.
  10. Adjust the seasoning and sprinkle with a dash of smoked paprika, if you like.
  11. Divide between two plates. Sprinkle with toasted walnuts (or walnut crumb) and fresh thyme leaves.

NOTES
*The exact amount of balsamic vinegar depends on the quality of it. I tested regular supermarket vinegar (25% of grape must), which needed about 3½-4 tbsp as well as a fairly expensive one (65% of grape must) and its flavour was noticeably more intense so I only needed about 2 tbsp. I reckon 3 tbsp is probably a happy medium, but please adjust to taste (remembering that the flavour will be more mellow after baking!).

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NUTRITIONAL INFO
calories
431
22%
sugars
6 g
7%
fats
16 g
23%
saturates
2 g
12%
proteins
13 g
26%
carbs
59 g
23%
*per serving
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5.0
24 reviews, 38 comments
REVIEWS & QUESTIONS
Verena:
Hey, I may be wrong about this, but I think there is an error with the oven temperatures, specifically with the adjustments to the fan setting.
Fahrenheit and celsius don’t scale proportionally. In isolation, 20° c equal 70° f. However, when you lower the temperature by 70° f from 425° f, you get to 355° f, which equals about 180° c. To get to the equivalent of 200° c, you’d only have to lower the oven temperature by 33° f from 425° f. I hope I am making sense.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Verena,
    Thanks for your comment. I will be honest, I've never come across this before - my assumption was that if 20° C equals 70° F, I simply deduct each value from the non-fan set oven to arrive at fan assisted temperatures. I will investigate and correct if necessary - thanks for letting me know. x Ania
Catherine:
Made this for dinner this evening - love the depth of flavours and easy to make.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much Catherine! I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed this dish and many thanks for taking the time to review. x Ania
Matt:
From not being a mushroom fan to this recipe and the mushroom ragu being firm favourites! Delicious.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thank you so much for your kind words, Matt! I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed them both despite not loving mushrooms :) Could I be cheeky and ask you to review the ragu recipe too - it would really help me out especially that it's a new recipe with only a few reviews. Thanks so much! Ania
Paige:
This pasta is absolutely fantastic. I make it about once a week now! I like to add caramelized onions to the sautéed garlic. So tasty and easy to make.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Paige. I'm so happy to hear that you like it so much, it's one of our personal favourites too. x Ania
Suzy:
Wow - this has to be one of the tastiest vegan pasta recipes I’ve ever come across. Not only is it delicious, it’s totally easy and I had all of the ingredients at home anyway. It was creamy, full of flavour and very moreish. I’ll be cooking and craving this regularly. Thank you so much.. I’m a huge fan of your Blog and Instagram account ☺️
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks so much for your kind words, Suzy! I'm so happy to hear that this pasta was such a success, especially that it is one of my personal favourites also! x Ania
Annie:
This is ridiculously good. So easy and quick and you get so much flavor
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Annie! I'm delighted to hear that you enjoyed it so much! Ania
Laura:
This was delicious, I doubled the recipe for my family!!! The sauce is so rich and yummy, and it was so filling. In hindsight, I think it would have been best to mix the nutritional yeast and the pasta water before adding to the frying pan, since my pan was too hot, and the water evaporated before they could really form a paste. I'm definitely making this again holy macaroni.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Glad you enjoyed this dish, Laura. And thank you for taking the time to leave a review. It's not quite right that your pan was that hot as garlic needs to be sauteed on a low-medium heat or else it burns and tastes bitter so if low heat is used the process does work well. Perhaps keep an eye on the heat level next time you make it. Ania
Claire:
Made this last night and it was delicious! Luckily made enough to have leftovers for lunch today! Yummy! Thanks xx
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear that you enjoyed it, Claire! Thanks for taking the time to let me know - much appreciated. x Ania
Misty:
Made this for dinner tonight. So yummy!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Misty! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Ania
Tess Shire:
I made this dish last night and it came out amazing. very easy and my husband just loved it. Thank you for sharing.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Tess! I'm delighted to hear that it went down so well. Ania
Charlotte:
This is fast becoming my favourite pasta recipe. Thank you so much!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Aw, thanks so much, Charlotte! I'm so happy to hear that! x Ania
Aga:
Amazing! I used some parmesan insetad of nutritional yeast as I am not vegan. Great recipe!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear that you enjoyed it, Aga! And thank you for taking the time to let me know that you did! Much appreciated. Pozdrawiam ;) x Ania
Jessi Summers:
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I sauteed some spinach to mix in too. :D
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear, Jessi! Thanks for letting me know that you enjoyed it! Stay safe. x Ania
Jo Hall:
Really enjoyed this recipe, had to modify it slightly as didn't have maple syrup so used carob syrup instead and added a few extra vegetables - it was delicious and love that it is simple to follow. Thank you.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks so much, Jo. I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed this pasta. It is one of our personal favourites too. Stay safe and carry on cooking ;) ! x Ania
Natasha:
Made this deliciousness last night and even our picky 5-year-old was a fan! We used a spinach pasta, but otherwise made the dish according to the recipe. It's wonderful. In the future, I think I will slice the mushrooms a little thicker as they do get quite baked during the process, but that's just a personal preference. Thank you so much for a great meal!
    Ania
    Ania:
    I am delighted to hear that, Natasha! And thank you for taking the time to let me know that you and your family (little ones can be the trickest 'customers) enjoyed it. Yes, I agree, I like to slice mine quite thickly also. Stay safe! x Ania
Berit:
What can I use instead of nutritional yeast? I'm not vegan.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Simply skip, it's a non-essential ingredient - it gives the sauce a bit of umami and a touch of creaminess. Ania
Randy:
I made this and it was reely good just tinkk the mushrooms should be a little thicker. I will be making this again
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear!
Natascha:
Hi Ania, thanks for this easy and flavourfull recipe. Made it tonight and I really liked it!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Natascha! I am so pleased you enjoyed it! x Ania
Dave:
Would love to make this. Sounds great. Can you double the recipe?
    Ania
    Ania:
    Sure you can, Dave! I hope you'll enjoy it! Ania
SpeedyBoarding:
Discovered this recipe by chance but will be back for more - it’s delicious. Had no balsamic vinegar So used balsamic glaze instead and omitted the maple syrup and the sticky consistency worked really well. I also added sliced courgettes in with the garlic fry as I don’t like nutri-yeast/cheesy tastes and the result was fab.
Thank you LazyCatKitchen!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, I am so glad to hear that. And thank you for taking the time to review and rate the recipe - much appreciated. Ania
Vikki:
Cooked this last week, easy to cook and absolutely delicious. Already a firm favourite.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Vikki! I am delighted to hear that you enjoyed it. x Ania
Sarah:
Hi! Can you please share the brand of balsamic vinegar you used? I can’t seem to find a good brand. Thank you.
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hi Sarah,
    I simply picked the best I could find in my local supermarket - Morrison's. It's from their The Best of range (comes in a funky looking bottle) and the label says: Balsamic Vinegar of Modena (65% of cooked grape must) and it has the relevant Italian accreditation. It's much thicker and syrupy compared to the cheap stuff I've bought previously. Hope that helps! Ania
Brendan Casey:
I made this (kind of!) tonight but with shiitake mushrooms, conchiglie and I added 50g of soya mince as I was hungry! It's delicious and the flavours really come out through the oven then pan cooking. Definitely one to have again. Thanks for posting this, Ania!
    Ania
    Ania:
    I am delighted to hear that, Brendan! Sounds delightful - especially as I am ravenously hungry myself now :) Thank you for taking the time to let me know that my recipe has been useful to you! Ani
Stephanie Jane:
I made this balsamic mushroom tonight and, wow, this is good! Such a rich sauce and absolutely packed with flavour.
I only used 1 garlic clove in the marinade and did all the mushroom and sauce cookery in a frying pan (because we don't have an oven). A deceptively easy recipe which would be great as a dinner party showoff dish!
    Ania
    Ania:
    I am delighted that this pasta has hit the spot, Stephanie! And thank you for taking the time to rate this recipe - much appreciated! x Ania
Veronica:
This was absolutely delicious!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear, thank you! x Ania
Susie:
Carrefour, cost an arm and a leg but that’s the usual. It’s very smokey and thick so maybe the maple syrup would need to be reduced so it’s not too sweet. 😘
    Ania
    Ania:
    Oh cool, will have another look here. Thanks for the suggestion. Hope you guys are well. Miss you. xx
Janet:
I made this tonight. It was so easy and delicious!! I used 2 Tbsp of California Balsamic Garlic. I accidentally put in 1 Tbsp of maple syrup. I also subbed coconut aminos for the soy. I think the recipe is quite forgiving. Next time I might try adding some additional vegetables too. Yum!
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Janet! I'm so pleased to hear that you like it! x Ania
Susie:
Hello my lovelies, I’m glad you’re feeling better 😘
This dish is lush as I love pasta and mushrooms and it’s easy to make unlike the cakes I used to be force fed from my neighbours 😝.
Have you tried mushrooms and pasta with ‘black’ garlic? It’s a game changer and a new fav of mine.
Missing you 😘
    Ania
    Ania:
    Hahaha, thanks, Susie! Nice to hear from you!! Where did you get black garlic on Paros? I have not seen it here anywhere but will keep an eye out - I'm intrigued! x Ania
Aphrodite:
I really like your recipes but I have a secret.. I am not vegan or vegetarian..however I really like to eat healthier! Would really love to make this one but in Greece you can’t find nutritional yeast so easy.. so what would you recommend to do? Thanks again for the inspiration!!
Ps you will love Lindy Hop!!!! I also took some lessons and I have to say I felt so young and full of joy!! Maybe it’s the music..
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks Aphrodite, yes, the music hooks you right in! There is nothing like nutritional yeast, I am afraid. I lived in Greece for 4 years and used to be able to buy it in a local health store, if that's available at all where you live. If not, just skip - the olive oil, garlic, balsamic and smoked paprika provide plenty of delicious flavour on their own! Hope you'll enjoy! x Ania
Sally:
Softish on the gums too 😉. Hope braces are settling in.. not funny being sick and having a sore mouth! Recipe looks and sounds delicious 😋
    Ania
    Ania:
    Thanks, Sally. It was okay actually, turns out that what everyone was telling me - that braces will feel fine after week and a half - was right and I should have been more patient - the story of my life!! Being ill always sucks but it's hard to avoid in winter here. Glad you like the sound of this recipe, hope you'll give it a go! x Ania
Joanie:
This sounds amazing! Going to make it today
    Ania
    Ania:
    Great to hear, Joanie! I hope you'll enjoy it! Ania
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