This is one of those pasta dishes that you can almost classify as healthy. It has more spinach and mushrooms than pasta, and steamed shrimp is a great low-calorie addition. I used a touch of olive oil to sauté everything and just a touch of pecorino romano for flavoring. I chose to serve it with mafaldine, which I found was hearty enough to hold up to the toppings. It also made the dish seem much fancier than a fettuccine or linguine, but both would be a good substitute if you can get your hands on mafaldine.

Shrimp, Mushrooms, and Spinach over Mafaldine

Ingredients:

• 6 oz baby spinach, washed well
• 10 oz baby bellas, tough stems removed and thickly sliced
• 1/2 lb to 3/4 lb shrimp, deveined and shells removed
• 1-2 gloves garlic, minced
• pinch red pepper, crushed
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 lb mafaldine // fettuccine or linguine as a substitute
• lemon, zested and cut in half
• pecorino romano
•  pepper & salt

Directions:

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al denté. Drain reserving about 1/4 cup of the water. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, heat the oil in a pan with a lid over medium heat. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms and stir occasionally until shiny but not soft.
3. Add shrimp, a touch of salt, red pepper, and the lemon zest. Cook until shrimp is just cooked through.
4. Dump spinach into the pan and add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water. Place the lid on and steam for a couple of minutes or until the spinach is wilted. Shake the pan once or twice to keep it from burning.
5. Remove the lid and add the juice from 1/2 of the lemon.
6. Serve over the pasta. Top with a bit of pecorino romano and freshly ground pepper.