Quick and Easy Pasta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Last night I arrived home from work and realized I hadn't taken anything out to defrost for dinner.

It had been a busy day and I was still scheduled to go for a 30 minute run - meaning I didn't have the time or energy for a complicated dinner, but I still wanted to eat something satisfying and delicious.

On nights like this in the past, it would have been standard practice to call for a pizza but because I am still plugging away on my weight loss journey with plans to run a half marathon in October, I needed a dinner that wouldn't be packed full of additional fat and calories.

So I did what I often do on nights like these and went to my pantry/refrigerator to see what kind of magic could be whipped up.

I had fresh mushrooms, pasta, sherry, chicken stock, parmesan cheese, Philadelphia Cream Cheese Light, and fresh garlic. So what about a creamy mushroom sauce to serve over pasta?

The entire meal took exactly 15 minutes to prepare and was equally satisfying and delicious!

Cook along with my easy to follow, step by step video.


 
Quick and Easy Pasta with Creamy Mushroom Sauce
For printable recipe click HERE

Ingredients

• 225 grams pasta cooked to al dente in boiling salted water
• 10 button mushrooms sliced thin
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• 2 cloves minced garlic
• 1/2 tsp dry thyme or 1 Tbsp fresh chopped thyme
• 1 cup low sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup sherry (optional)
• 1 cup Philadelphia Chive and Onion Cream Cheese (light or regular)
• 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• fresh chopped parsley to garnish
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Put water on to boil for pasta
2. Saute mushrooms over medium high heat in olive oil until they become golden brown and begin to release their water. Add the spinach and saute until just beginning to wilt.
3. Add garlic and thyme and sautee for about 30 seconds until garlic becomes fragrant. Add chicken stock and sherry and continue to cook to reduce by half.
4. When stock has reduced, add the Philly Cream Cheese and continue to gently whisk until it has melted into the sauce. 
5. Add the parmesan cheese and stir until it has melted into the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Add the cooked pasta and parsley and toss altogether. Top with additional parmesan cheese.

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