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Looking for a quick and nourishing weeknight dinner that’s delicious? Of course you are, who isn’t? With only a hand full of ingredients, my Spaghetti with Mint Macadamia Pesto and Roast Mushrooms ticks all the boxes.
Don’t be put off by the fancy-pants name, this dish truly is mega quick to throw together. I’m talking:
- Bung your mushrooms in a hot oven > put on your pasta water
- When the pasta is cooking away > throw all the pesto ingredients into a mini food processor and blitz
And that’s about it really. Everything is pretty much ready at the same time and you barely have to lift a finger. Genius right?
The Mint Macadamia Pesto is super creamy and satisfying with a bit of a zing thanks to the lime juice and mint. And what works well with creamy? Why, crunchy and salty of course! The deep, earthy flavours of roasted mushroom really mellow the punchy pesto. I like to dollop a lovely big spoonful of pesto on top of some steaming hot, freshly cooked pasta. This way I can mix it through as I eat, dipping the crunchy roast mushrooms in the lovely sauce as I go.
Another great thing about this dish is if you make too much pesto (which I almost always do) you can store it in a clean glass jar in the fridge for another meal. I’m thinking, as a spread on sandwiches and wraps or dolloped onto a salad or power bowl. Yum!
You simply must give this a try and let me know what you think. 🙂
Spaghetti with Mint Macadamia Pesto and Roast Mushrooms
Serves 2
200g dried spaghetti
2 cups button mushrooms (sliced)
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
For the Mint Macadamia Pesto:
the flesh of 1 ripe avocado
the juice of 1 lime
1/2 cup salted and roasted macadamia nuts
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1 tbs olive oil
salt and pepper
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 200C. Evenly spread your mushrooms out on an oven tray lined with baking paper. Drizzle with 1 tbs of olive oil and sprinkle generously with salt and cracked pepper. Place your mushrooms in the oven for around 20 minutes or until golden and crisp.
- While your mushrooms are roasting, pop a large pot of cold tap water onto the stove to heat. Once it’s come to the boil add 2 tsp cooking salt to the water, let it dissolve, then add your spaghetti. Cook spaghetti according to packet instructions.
- Time to make your mint macadamia pesto. Place all your pesto ingredients in a small/mini food processor and blend on high until you achieve the desired consistency. I like mine really smooth so I tend to blend it for around 3-5 minutes.
- When your pasta is cooked, drain the cooking water. Divide the pasta evenly between two bowls. Next comes the dollop of pesto, then the mushrooms. Then I like to drizzle a bit of good quality olive oil over the dish (you can skip this part if you like) and finish off with a good grinding of black pepper. Serve while it’s nice and hot.
