Ingredients:

1. •1 Cup Cremini Mushrooms (Diced)
   

2. •1 Cup Frozen Spinach (Thawed at room temperature)
   

3. •2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
   

4. •4 Tbsp Unsalted/Salted Butter (I am using salted for this recipe)
   

5. •½ Red Onions (finely chopped)
   

6. •1 Tsp Paprika Powder
   

7. •½ Tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper
   

8. •2 Tbsp Kosher Salt
   

9. •½ lb Penne Pasta
   

10. •Handful Pine Nuts
    

11. •2 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
    

12. •I Cup Whole Milk (I used 2% milk in this recipe)
    

13. •Water for boiling the Pasta (Please follow the instructions on the package)
    

14. •2 Tbsp Olive Oil
    

Method for the Sauce:

Heat the butter in a non-stick pan and add flour to it. You want to cook the flour for a minute, just to get rid of its rawness. Now add the whipping cream and milk to this and bring the sauce to a boil. Add, paprika, black pepper and salt to this. Keep stirring to avoid lumps. Set aside. You will notice that the sauce thickens after a couple of minutes.

Method for Vegetables:

In a pan, heat olive oil. Saute onions in this with 1/2 Tsp of salt. When the onions become translucent, add spinach along with 1/2 Tsp of salt. It is important to flavor each layer of vegetables. Cook this for couple of minutes and add mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are tender also. Now add the prepared sauce to the vegetable and mix to combine. Cover this with a lid, bring it to a boil and set aside.

Cooking the Pasta:

I would advise that you follow the package instructions. I bring a pot of water to a boil. Then add 1/2 Tsp of salt and few drops of olive oil to it. Then drop in the pasta and cook until andante. I like to save at least 1/2 Cup of pasta water before discarding it. It adds flavor to the prepared sauce and helps to thin it a little bit. Make sure that the sauce and vegetable mixture is hot. Add some pasta water to the same and drop in the cooked pasta and pine nuts. Combine and serve hot.

This is one of my favorites form of comforting foods! Enjoy it with loved ones.

Tips:

1) If the sauce is too thick, add some pasta water to thin it.

2) Feel free to use toasted hazelnuts or walnuts instead of pine nuts.

3) Feel free to adjust the quantity of salt, pepper and paprika powder to suit your taste. Too much Paprika will result to a slightly bitter taste.