The other night my daughter was craving plain pasta with tomato sauce so I made it.  I opened a can of organic crushed tomatoes, sautéed some onions and garlic and added fresh herbs. In the meantime I boiled some water, cooked the pasta and tossed it with some sauce. And then I thought…

Simple is great, and if it were summer, I would have made the sauce with fresh tomatoes, added a ton of slivered basil to the finished dish and I wouldn’t have needed to add another thing. But…being that it’s winter here in the Northeast and there’s not a perfect tomato in sight…I thought this could use something more. So I sautéed some sliced shiitake mushrooms in a hot pan with oil and garlic and cooked them in high heat until they were crispy. Now we’re talking perfection!

And it’s perfectly Italian, Vegan and easily Gluten-Free. Makes sense that something this perfectly good is good for all.

Still need a recipe? Your wish is my pleasure…

Ingredients

1 lb. spagetti or favorite gluten or gluten-free pasta

4 oz shiitake mushrooms – sliced

3 – 4 tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic – finely chopped

Parsley – for garnish

1 batch Marinara Sauce

Instructions

Cook pasta according to package directions

Make a batch of marinara sauce

Place a medium saute pan over medium/high heat, add oil and heat until hot but not smoking.

Add mushrooms. Cook until golden and crispy (about 3 minutes). Don’t over stir. Add garlic just before mushrooms are done. Remove from heat and season with salt.

Toss the pasta with the sauce. Plate and top with the mushrooms.

That was easy wasn’t it?

Would love  your feedback on this recipe or tell me about your perfect, easy dish that delights in all its simplicity.