Mushroom and spinach pasta for two

Mushrooms need room to brown. If they are piled into a small pan, their released water collects and they steam instead. Use your widest frying pan for this meal, or cook the mushrooms in two batches. The extra surface area does more for the flavour than turning the heat up until the garlic burns.

What you need

For two portions, use 180 g dried pasta, 250 g chestnut or button mushrooms sliced, 100 g baby spinach washed, one small garlic clove finely chopped, one tablespoon olive oil, 15 g butter and 75 ml single cream. Have a teaspoon of lemon juice, black pepper and salt ready. Optional grated hard cheese can be added at the table; choose a vegetarian-labelled version if that matters to you. Allow roughly 25 minutes.

Start the pasta, then the pan

Bring a large pan of water to the boil and cook the pasta according to its packet. Before draining, reserve a mug of the cooking water. Meanwhile, heat the oil in the frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms in a fairly even layer and leave them briefly before turning, allowing some colour to develop.

Cook for about six to eight minutes, stirring as needed, until their released liquid has mostly evaporated. Reduce the heat, add the butter and garlic, and stir for about a minute. Garlic should smell fragrant without becoming dark. Add the spinach in handfuls, turning it through the mushrooms until just wilted.

Pour in the cream and two tablespoons of reserved pasta water. Warm gently, then add the drained pasta. Toss everything together over a low heat. Add more pasta water one spoon at a time until the sauce lightly coats the pasta rather than sitting in a thick pool. Stir in the lemon juice and season to taste.

A few useful adjustments

If the sauce looks watery, keep tossing over gentle heat for a short time before adding anything else. If it becomes too thick, loosen it with reserved water. Pasta continues absorbing liquid as it stands, so serve it promptly in warm bowls. A heavy topping of cheese is optional, not necessary to make the dish complete.

Different pasta shapes carry the sauce differently. Short ridged shapes catch small mushroom pieces, while long ribbons suit thin slices. Whichever you choose, chop the mushrooms to a size that can be comfortably lifted with the pasta rather than leaving very large pieces that separate from every forkful.

Refrigerate any leftovers promptly in a covered container and use within 48 hours. Reheat the portion needed until steaming hot throughout, adding a little water and stirring frequently. The spinach will soften further and the sauce will be less glossy than when freshly made; this is a texture change, not a reason to leave leftovers at room temperature. Freezing is possible but can make a cream sauce separate, so this is a better recipe to cook in the quantity you need.