A laid-back, light, springtime pasta salad with vibrant color! You'll experience tart lemon and briny pepperoncini flavors while being grounded by beets and mushrooms. Turn on your favorite vibey jams, pour a refreshing drink in a fancy glass, and use the little cooking time as a slowdown. Soon you'll be satiated and relaxed; what more could you want?
If you're browsing for light, fresh-flavored main dishes, be sure to check out my Vegan Cauliflower Steaks or my all-time favorite recipe, Vegan Mac and Cheese (without cashews).
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New season...
Looking out the window, you'll see signs of spring everywhere. Even here in the desert, fresh green spikes and tiny bright flowers bloom on all the cactuses. The transition into a new season always nudges us toward change, whether ready or not!
My cravings drive this blog, and with the warmer air, I've been enjoying more smoothies, salads, and summer-style pasta dishes. Beet & Mushroom Pasta with Lemon Dressing was a happy accident. Originally meant to be pierogis, but the dough didn't set right, and I had already made the filling.
I don't commonly eat pierogis, so naturally, the recipe would need some trial rounds, but I was hungry this day, and no food was going to be left behind...
My style is cooking without direction and solely sailing on the flavors my tastebuds are craving. I rarely measured, until starting this blog, so a new set of measuring spoons was necessary! Besides reminding myself to measure, I've been flowing freely these days. There's always a tiny voice whispering for more direction and results, but my drive for an easy living has been outweighing it.
So, no pierogis, but say hello to Beet & Mushroom Pasta with Lemon Dressing. It's effortlessly put together; it's light and airy, like spring. The lemon dressing is fresh and ready with just a wrist shake.
You'll find the recipe card at the bottom of this page, but here are my extra tips for easily getting this pasta to the plate.
Tips for success
Dressing: this is the best part of the dish. It's so simple to prepare with just a few common ingredients and delicious. Add all ingredients to a jar with a lid and shake!
Noodles: I use gluten-free and prefer the brand Jovial, they use brown rice, but chickpea pasta is a close second. They hold up perfectly and have the best noodle texture, IMO, and I prefer them to wheat noodles.
Finely chop: Whether looking for a quick, easy meal to throw together or you love cooking, it's important to spend the time finely chopping the onion, beet, mushroom, and spinach leaves. This ensures a better eating experience and allows the flavors to meld into each bite. Investing in quality knives was a great step for me in the kitchen and made a HUGE difference in my cooking.
I started with a good classic chef's knife from WÜSTHOF. The website gives a good description of each and what the knife is good for. I decided to check out a local store that sold them and a knowledgeable staff member gave me some tips for picking the perfect one.
Why you'll love this pasta
👍It's a fast recipe with tons of flavor!
👍Healthy dish with tons of garden veggies.
👍I think you'd enjoy this recipe if you like a light, springtime pasta salad with vibrant color. You'll experience tart lemon and briny pepperoncini flavors while being grounded by beets and mushrooms.
If you're not a fan of beets, don't look away, the other flavors paired with beets make this pasta recipe delicious.
It would be a great recipe for a dinner party; I'd doubt there would be any leftovers! But if so, this pasta dish is stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.
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Beet & Mushroom Pasta with Lemon Dressing
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup oil (avocado or olive oil)
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
Other ingredient:
- 12 ounce box of noodles (Jovial gluten-free is my preferred)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ white onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup filtered water
- 3 cooked beets, finely chopped
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, finely chopped
- 1 cup spinach leaves, finely chopped
- ½ cup sliced pepperoncini, pickled
- 6 basil leaves, ripped by hand
- ½ teaspoon salt (more for seasoning)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Make the lemon dressing by combining lemon juice, oil, mustard, maple syrup, and one minced garlic clove in a jar. Give it a good shake, like seriously put that bicep to work. Set aside.
- Bring water, one teaspoon of salt, and one tablespoon of oil to a boil in a large saucepan. Once ready, add the pasta noodles to the party.
- With one eye on the pasta and one on the cutting board, mince the other two garlic cloves and finely chop the onion, beet, mushroom, and spinach leaves.
- In a large pan, heat oil on high, once warm, sauté the minced garlic until fragrant, about 1-3 minutes. Add the white onion and cook until browned, frequently stirring, about 5 minutes.
- Once the onions are cooked, add ½ cup of filtered water to ensure no sticking. Then add the finely chopped beet and mushroom. Stirring to combine with the onions and water.
- Finally, add the spinach over the top. Allow this to cook until tender, and the water evaporates.
- The noodles should be ready by this point - drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the cooked veggies to the noodles, a cup of sliced pickled pepperoncini, and rip a handful of basil leaves by hand to toss in for added flavor.
- Naturally, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and black pepper. Give the dressing a final shake and pour over noodles.
- Lightly mix until combined, plate, and serve.
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