Baked Mushroom Pasta By the Sea

Last week we were on the boat again.

It is Winter and it was a wonderful day

You can’t beat Auckland on a good day.
Crisp clear air, the water so still, just like floating on gin
Perfect.

I had brought a package mushroom soup from the supermarket
I thought that I could incorporate it with some fresh mushrooms into a pasta dish for lunch.
The soup is 97% Fat free. I soon fixed that.
Fat is flavour after all! No really not too bad at all.

Only a bit of olive oil and some cheese.
I love baked pasta. I know the pasta becomes a lot softer than the al dente recommended normally, but I think that is half the charm.

And scraping at the sides of the empty dish is a real treat.

Crispy cheesy pasta! Yum.

Thought this would be a good entry for Ruth's Presto Pasta Nights have a look here at loads of fabulous Pasta dishes. Every week, heaps of people send Ruth

their favourite recipes. It's great fun.

You will need
400mls mushroom soup
4 large flat brown mushrooms cut into chunky bits
1 onion chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon chopped thyme

150 gms cooked penne

Good handful grated tasty cheddar cheese

2-3 tablespoons breadcrumbs

Heat the oil in a pan and sauté the onions till soft
Season with salt & freshly ground black

Add thyme
Raise the heat and add the mushrooms.

Saute another 3-4 mushrooms to get some colour

Butter a casserole dish
Add the sauté vege, the pasta and the soup.

Mix well
Check seasoning and adjust if necessary

Mix grated cheese and breadcrumbs and scatter on top.

Into 200C oven for about 20-30 minutes till bubbling.
Serve with a nice glass of chilled white wine and enjoy the view.
I love these serviettes they are so us.