I’ve never been a big fan of pasta: it tastes bland, sits heavy, and makes me feel like I’m in an uncomfortable food coma with a 6-months-pregnant food baby.  J, however, loves the stuff and, sometimes, you just need to compromise.  Lately, we’ve been following a vegan diet, which has allowed me to be resourceful and creative with my cooking.  J returned from shopping one day with a mess of vegetables, allowing us to have many options for that night’s meal; usually, we’d make some type of soup or veg medley, but we were feeling innovative that day.  Korea has a string mushroom (paengi beoseot) that costs about 50 cents per 150 grams, and seeing it immediately made me think of pasta.  I sautéed them lightly and whipped up a tomato and basil sauce to top it- the result was amazing! Since then, I’ve made it with a few different sauces, all of which have been delicious.  If you’re looking for a healthy alternative to pasta, you’ve come to the right place.  Check out this recipe, and let me know what you think! Also, if you have any other pasta/noodle alternatives, comment below and share with the veggie world.  Enjoy!

Prep time: less than 5 minutes

Cook time: 3 minutes for mushrooms, 20 minutes for sauce

Ingredients:

• 300 g Korean string mushrooms, with bottoms chopped off
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 3 large tomatoes or a can of tomato paste (about 8 ounces)
• 1/2 red bell pepper, sliced
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper, sliced
• 5 garlic cloves, finally chopped
• 2 chillies, finely chopped
• small handful of green onion, chopped
• 1 tbsp basil
• 1 tbsp mixed herbs
• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

Method:

Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over low heat.  Add garlic and cook for a few minutes, stirring lightly.  Once the garlic has flavored the oil, add tomatoes/sauce, chillies, and herbs.  Leave to simmer for 15-20 minutes.

In a separate pan, heat 1/2 tbsp olive oil over medium heat- you don’t need anymore for the mushrooms, as they’re very delicate.  Add the string mushrooms and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Plate the noodles as you like, pour a dollop of tomato sauce, and top with peppers, onions, and fresh spring onion.

Yields 2 servings

At first glance, you’d think it was actually pasta.