Creamy Spaghetti with Brussels Sprouts & Marinated Mushrooms

Brussels sprouts with mushrooms in a one pot creamy spaghetti dish makes an easy simple weeknight dinner for when you still want to eat something healthy without spending a lot of time cooking. Add cooked lentils, other pulses or smoked tofu for some added protein.

This creamy spaghetti dish works equally well with gluten-free pasta. Depending on the brand, some gluten-free spaghetti tend to be starchier than others. In this case, you may omit the cornstarch.

One pot pasta dishes are sometimes a hit or miss. The truth is unless you are really familiar with the brand of pasta that you use, the amount of water as suggested in many recipes may not necessarily be correct for that particular pasta. Also gluten-free pasta tends to be quite starchy and often results in a soggy mess when cooked all at once with the rest of the ingredients. So, I do my one pot pasta a little bit different.

Kevin actually has a method of his own that he has used in this Curry Vegetable Spaghetti dish where cooking the pasta in a wide pan that is left uncovered (at some point) allows the liquid to quickly evaporate while stirring. I like his method as it gives you quite a bit of control.

My second way of making one pot pastas is to use plenty of or enough water and bring it to boiling point first as you would when making pasta the traditional way. Then add in the pasta. When the pasta is less than halfway done (usually about 3 minutes), drain the water but leave enough in there to just about the same level as the pasta in the pot. At this point, I add my vegetables and other ingredients.

This method ensures that the pasta, spaghetti in this case, gets cooked evenly and also makes it easy to use any kind of pasta, regular or gluten-free. When vegetables are added halfway through, they don’t get overcooked. This approach is different from many one pot pasta dishes out there, where everything is added at the same time. But it still uses just one pot and comes ready in just about 20 minutes including prep time. The only pepping involved is slicing the mushrooms, chopping the Brussels sprouts and parsley (if using).

Coconut milk creates a creamy texture quite similar to adding a bechamel sauce onto the pasta without having to make a separate sauce. You may use other non-dairy milk although rice milk may be a little too thin for it to liken the richness of coconut milk. This creamy spaghetti dish is oil-free since the coconut milk is rich enough.

Marinated or pickled mushrooms add a whole lot of flavour to the dish although you could use fresh or canned mushrooms too. I usually get a jar of marinated mixed wild mushrooms from a small European store near my place. You can also find similar mushrooms online. They are pretty awesome used in sandwiches too.

Creamy Spaghetti with Brussels Sprouts & Marinated Mushrooms

Ingredients (2 servings)

200 g spaghetti (regular or gluten-free)
Enough water to boil spaghetti
1/3 cup [80 ml] coconut milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/3 [80 ml] cup water
1 tablespoon white miso paste (or 1 – 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast)
6 – 7 Brussels sprouts, quartered of halved depending on size
1/4 cup pickled/marinated mushrooms or 1/2 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup [30 g] frozen green peas
4 – 5 sprigs of fresh thyme (1/2 teaspoon dried thyme)
Salt & pepper to taste
Finely chopped parsley or basil for garnish
Grated vegan cheese, optional for toppings

Directions

Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Once boiling, drop the spaghetti in the pot.

Keep an eye on the spaghetti. When it is supple but still less than half cooked (about 3 minutes), drain almost all the water. Leave enough water in the pot to be just the same level as the spaghetti or slightly less.

Now, add the Brussels sprouts and mushrooms to the pot.

Add the coconut milk and the miso paste. Make sure the miso paste is well diluted into the sauce.

Dissolve the cornstarch in about 1/3 cup water. Add this to the pot and stir.

Add the thyme, salt and pepper to taste. Note: the miso is already salty, so you may not need salt.

Add the green peas. Stir and add a little water if you want more sauce.

Partially cover the pot with a lid and simmer for about 4 – 6 minutes or until spaghetti and vegetables are cooked and the sauce has thickened.

Turn off the heat and let stand for a minute or two before serving.

To serve garnish with the chopped parsley and vegan cheese if desired.