Garlic Pasta Nests with Spinach and Shrooms

For Mushrooms:

Step 1

Whisk together the tamari, hoisin, chili paste, sesame oil, and sesame seeds in a medium bowl. Set aside.

Heat a large cast-iron skillet over high heat and let it get pretty hot. Add olive oil to cover the bottom of the skillet. Add mushrooms and place a heavy dutch oven on top of the mushrooms. Let them sear for a few minutes. Remove dutch oven, set aside, and flip mushrooms over. Season with salt and pepper and place dutch oven over the mushrooms once more to sear the other side. Remove mushrooms from skillet and place in the bowl with marinade. Let it sit in the fridge for 30 minutes.

Step 2

Next, remove mushrooms from marinade. Reserve marinade for drizzle. Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Add mushroom steaks and sear once more on each side for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from skillet and set aside

For Pasta:

Cook pasta to package instructions. Drain (saving 1/2 cup of the pasta water) and set aside covered.

Using the same non-stick skillet for searing marinaded mushrooms, add panko bread crumbs and butter. Stir to combine and let crumbs toast. Once they are golden brown, remove and set aside.

Reheat the same large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil to skillet, then fresh garlic and red pepper flakes. Sauté for a few seconds. Add spinach and stir until it begins to wilt. With tongs, add pasta and a bit of the pasta water to the skillet and toss with the spinach and garlic. Once the pasta is heated through, serve onto plates in the form of pasta nests along with the mushrooms. Sprinkle with toasted bread crumbs and drizzle with marinade.