Creamy garlic, mushroom and zucchini pasta

I like a pasta sauce that is creamy and delicious but not very heavy and rich. This sauce recipe fits the bill. It comes together very quickly and does not use any cream or cheese! The real punch in the sauce comes from the fresh garlic that goes into it. I have used vegetables like mushroom, zucchini and spinach to add some different textures and flavors to the pasta. Other vegetables like broccoli, asparagus, green beans and corn kernels would also go really nicely with this sauce. This is a very quick and easy meal to put together and it is packed with flavor. I make it on week nights when I want to eat something fancy without putting in a ton of effort into it.

Serves: 2 | Prep. time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

For the sauce:

• 1 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp butter

• 2 cloves garlic (minced)

• 1/4 cup all purpose flour

• 2 cups 2% milk

• salt

• ground black pepper

• small pinch nutmeg powder

• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper/red pepper flakes

Vegetables:

• 1 tsp. olive oil

• 8 oz. button mushrooms (sliced)

• handful of spinach leaves

• 1 large zucchini, sliced

• salt

• ground black pepper

6 oz. or 180 g dried pasta (I used fettuccine)

Dried basil or parsley for garnish

Directions:

Make the sauce:

1. In a saucepan, on low-medium heat, add the oil and butter. Once the butter has melted, add the minced garlic, stir for a minute and then add the flour. Whisk immediately and continuously till flour and fats are well mixed and form a paste.

2. Add the milk, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking after every addition. Try to break any clumps that form and create a smooth mixture. If some tiny clumps persist, that is okay.

3. Once all the milk is incorporated, let the mixture cook for 5-7 minutes, whisking every minute to avoid the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan.

4. The sauce should start thickening. Add the salt (to taste), pepper, crushed red pepper and nutmeg. Once sauce has thickened and reached desired consistency, turn off the heat.

Cooking the pasta and vegetables:

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.

2. In a large pot, heat 1 tsp. olive oil. Once warm, add the sliced mushrooms and let them cook on medium heat for 5 minutes till they become tender.

3. Add the zucchini slices and season with salt and pepper. I like the zucchini slices to develop a bit of a char but you can cook to your preference.

4. Once zucchini slices are tender, add the spinach leaves and let them wilt.

Finally, drain and add pasta to the pot of vegetables. Pour sauce over the pasta and vegetables and mix well till sauce coats all the pasta. Serve warm and garnish with dried or fresh herbs like parsley or basil. Enjoy!