Tuesday, September 9, 2008

Use it Up Dinner: Boursin-Mushroom-Basil Pasta

The past three weeks I have received a little paper sack with a clump or two of oyster mushrooms (at least I am assuming they are oyster mushrooms, please correct me if I am wrong!) in my CSA box. They aren't that pretty but they taste really good!


The first week, I messed up and forgot them (mushroom mush I am afraid!), the next week they ended up on my Bison-Boursin Burgers (still dreaming of those) and finally I had to decide what to do with the ones I got last Thursday. With Boursin on my mind and in my cheese drawer (1/2 a package of the black pepper flavor), I decided to combine it with the mushrooms again: this time making a creamy, peppery, decadent pasta sauce to go over some Capellini pasta (long and narrow but thicker than Angel Hair). The little bag of basil that is a regular in my CSA box was perfect scattered on top. This isn't a "recipe' as much as my "throw it together" steps. Even if you don't have Boursin or oyster mushrooms leftover, you could use any soft, crumbly, melty cheese and any mushroom and get a similar effect.


Boursin-Mushroom-Basil Pasta
serves 2 (or 1 hungry, very bad girl)

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1 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup fresh mushrooms, chopped (oyster or your favorite mushroom)
1/2 package (about 3 oz) Boursin cheese (black pepper flavor preferred)
2 Tbsp cream (half & half or milk will work too)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped coarsely
About 4 oz dried, thin, long pasta (capellini, fettuccine or angel hair)
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Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile melt butter in a small sauce pan and saute mushrooms about 3 minutes until softened over medium heat. Add crumbled Boursin to pan along with 2 Tbsp cream and stir lightly until Boursin is melted and a sauce is formed. Add salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Place pasta in a small serving bowl, top with the mushrooms and sauce and scatter the top with chopped basil. Enjoy!


Fast, easy and delicious. I'd like to tell you I ate one petite serving with a nice green salad but truth be told it was so good that I ate both servings...out of the serving bowl...no salad greens in sight...sitting on the couch... (Bad Deb! Bad Deb!)

8 comments:

  1. Glad you were able to use up what you had. This looks really good.

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  2. Deb, these mushrooms are beautiful. I've never seen those before. I'm sure they made a delicious sauce for your pasta. I want to live in Hawaii and find cool stuff like your mushrooms. You can't find those here in El Paso

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  3. Kat--I just hate to waste stuff but I would buy the stuff just to make this.

    Teresa--but you have great Mexican Food there and thats hard to get here!

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  4. Mmmm, cheesy mushroomy pasta goodness. I am of the bad-girl eat lots of pasta set too. Go carbs!

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  5. That looks delicious and a wonderful use of only 6 ingredients. Mushrooms and cheese and pasta? I think I want this for my last meal before I die.

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  6. This looks really delicious! I wish we had a CSA here.

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  7. Oh Deb, that looks so delicious! I'm so jealous of your fresh basil and neat mushrooms in your CSA box! I wish I could find a CSA around here, sounds like so much fun to get a surprise box of fruits and veggies once a week. A pasta looking that delicious would make me a bad girl and go for two servings as well :)

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  8. Natashya--they say they are the feel good food1 ;-)

    Prudy--yep, you can't argue with the ingredients1

    Candy & Andrea--sometimes I get bored with it but we are lucky to have one at least! And it is nice to get something different like the mushrooms now and then!

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