This mushroom and sun-dried tomato pasta with wilted spinach, toasted walnuts and crispy Jamón Serrano topping has got it all. With a bit of sweet, spicy, tart, umami, crunchy, and crispy in every bite, this dish is sure to impress.
A Winning Combo
For this recipe, I partnered with BarillaU.S to create a plant-forward pasta dish made with wholesome ingredients and lots of love. I wanted to create a dish that leaves your tastebuds dancing and I think I found the winning combo! The crispy jamón serrano was inspired by my childhood in Spain. I grew up with Jamón Serrano and thought it would be fun to fry some up for a crunchy and salty topping in this pasta dish! The jamón pairs wonderfully with tart sun-dried tomatoes and earthy mushrooms and sits on a bed of delicious ‘al dente’ pasta as a base.
The Ingredients
This pasta dish comes together with a blend of flavors inspired by the Mediterranean.
Jamón Serrano is a type of cured ham that is native to Spain and is used in many dishes, from appetizers of thinly sliced jamón on toasted baguettes, to cozy stews and more.
Growing up in Spain, Jamón Serrano was as easy to find in a grocery store as milk. Here in the U.S. it has been a bit tricky to find, but a few years ago, my family discovered that Costco sells whole legs of Jamón Serrano imported from Spain!
If you can get your hands on the real deal that’s great, but the good news is that you can substitute for prosciutto if needed.
Vibrant Colors and Nourishing Ingredients
Pasta dishes don’t have to look dull and one-noted if you choose the right ingredients! This recipe has every color of the rainbow thanks to the addition of nourishing vegetables like onions, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and spinach.
The key to bright and vibrant vegetables is to minimize cooking time to prevent color and nutrients from leaking out. When blanching vegetables, I like to submerge them in a bowl of ice water after cooking for optimal color and freshness. To keep the spinach in this dish vibrant, I added it at the last step of the cooking process and cooked until just slightly wilted before turning off the heat. You can also add a splash of lemon juice or vinegar to cooked greens for brighter color!
This pasta recipe not only provides a balance of protein, carbs, and fat, but it also offers a wide array of vitamins and minerals from all the vegetables! Spinach is a good source of iron from plant sources and is an excellent choice when paired with vitamin C-rich foods like sun-dried tomatoes as the vitamin C allows for increased iron absorption!
What’s more, garlic and onion are a source of prebiotics- the fuel that feeds our gut bacteria and promotes a healthy gut microbiome!
Cooking Pasta to Perfection
A perfect bowl of pasta starts with pasta that is cooked ‘al dente’. To make al dente pasta, cook the pasta for 9-11 minutes (or according to the instructions on the box) and always making sure to undercook if the pasta will be added to a sauce to finish cooking. Test the pasta by taking a bite. Perfectly al dente pasta should feel firm but still tender.
It’s important to use a large pot so that your pasta isn’t crowded. And don’t forget the salt! Salting pasta water is critical to flavoring the pasta from the inside out. Add about 1 ½ tbsp of salt per gallon of water.
The last step to a flavorful pasta dish is to reserve some of that starchy pasta water. The pasta water can be added to the sauce at the end to provide flavor as well as a creamier consistency and glossy finish.
The Process
This recipe starts by cooking the onion and garlic until soft, then adding the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes and cooking on low.
Next comes the dried oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to spice things up. I like to add a little white wine to deglaze the pan and add a more robust flavor! Dry white wine would be your best choice here.
Once that all cooks down, I add the spinach and fresh basil and cook on low for just 1 minute or until the spinach is slightly wilted before taking it off the heat.
While that’s all going down, you want to make your pasta separately, and once cooked ‘al dente’, add the pasta to the pan with a few tablespoons of the pasta water and toss gently to combine.
The Key to a Perfect Toasted Walnut and Crispy Jamòn Topping
I have to tell you when I first tried a bite of this crunchy toasted walnut and fried jamón serrano topping, I thought, WOW! I would 100% eat this by itself as a snack and I am not ashamed.
When I came up with this recipe, I wanted to balance the soft texture of the pasta and veggies with a crunchy and irresistible topping, and from there, I started experimenting with different combos! I love the way the salty and fried jamòn serrano pairs with the nutty and fragrant flavor of the toasted walnuts in this dish. If you can’t get an authentic jamón serrano anywhere, try substituting for prosciutto and frying it the same way.
To make the topping, heat a separate small pan on medium to high heat with ½ tbsp of olive oil. Once shimmering, add in the walnuts and jamón serrano. Cook until the jamón is darker in color and crispy.
This pasta dish is one I will come back to for nights when I want to make a little something special in a little over 30 minutes!
I hope this dish makes it to your table and that you get a chance to savor the flavors one bite at a time 🙂
If you tried this recipe, I would appreciate if you could leave a rating and comment on the post!
Want to explore more recipes? Below are some of my latest dinner recipes (all plant-forward and simple to make!)
- Butternut Squash Carrot Soup with Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
- Apple Cinnamon Scones
- Sausage, Kale, Butternut Squash Pasta
- Mushroom, Sun-dried Tomato, and Jamón Serrano Pasta
- Roasted Red Pepper Pumpkin Pasta
Mushroom, Sun-dried Tomato, and Jamón Serrano Pasta
Ingredients
- 8 oz (1/2 box) Farfalle Pasta
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- 3/4 cup yellow onion diced
- 3 cloved garlic minced
- 1 cup Cremini mushrooms chopped
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes diced
- 3/4 tsp dried oregano
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1/3 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups fresh spinach
- 1 tbsp fresh basil minced
- 2 tbsp parmesan cheese grated
Walnut and Jamón Serrano Topping
- ½ cup walnuts chopped
- 1/4 cup Jamón Serrano* diced
Instructions
- Chop the vegetables according to the instructions. Heat a large skillet on medium heat and add 1 ½ tbsp of olive oil.
- Once shimmering, add the diced onion and minced garlic. Cook for 4-5 minutes or until the onion begins to appear translucent. Turn the heat to medium low to prevent the garlic from browning.
- Add the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes. Let cook on medium to low heat for another 5-7 minutes.
- In the meantime, put a large pot of water on high heat and add 1 ½ tbsp of salt to the water. Once boiling, add the pasta and cook for 11-12 minutes according to the package instructions. Drain the water but reserve about ¼ of the pasta water. Set aside.
- Add oregano, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to the vegetable mixture and cook for 1 minute. Add in the white wine, stir together and let cook on low for about 5 minutes. Stir in the spinach and fresh basil and cook until the spinach is just wilted before turning the heat off.
- Add the cooked pasta to the vegetable mixture and stir together. Pour in a bit of the pasta water little by little until you reach a desired consistency.
- Heat a separate small pan on medium to high heat with ½ tbsp of olive oil. Once shimmering, add in the walnuts and jamón serrano. Cook until the jamón serrano begins to get crispy.
- Distribute about 1 cup of the pasta onto each plate and top with the crispy jamón serrano and toasted walnuts. Finish the dish off with grated parmesan cheese and extra fresh basil. Enjoy!
This Mushroom, Sun-dried Tomato and Jamón Serrano Pasta recipe looks like a delicious and flavorful combination of ingredients! The crispy jamón serrano topping sounds like a game-changer. I’m curious, have you ever tried adding any other unique toppings or variations to this dish?