Background: There’s nothing like having fresh vegetables in a big bowl of pasta especially mushrooms, spinach, and cherry tomatoes. We started making a pasta sauce inspired by Cook’s Illustrated “The Fastest Fresh Tomato Sauce” (June/July 2020), however we use capers instead of anchovies, and add white balsamic vinegar with the spinach, and of course add pepperoni into the mix! Regular spaghetti or linguini does not work well with this dish so look for shaped pasta. It’s a really light and fresh meal that creates great leftovers and is an excellent way to use up some of the year’s cherry tomato harvest!

Ingredients:

1 lb. Cellentani or Campanelle pasta
2 cups cherry tomatoes
8 oz fresh baby spinach
½ cup olive oil
8 oz slice fresh mushrooms
3 cloves garlic peeled and minced
½ tsp pepper flakes
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp raw cane sugar
1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
3 tsp capers
2 inches stick pepperoni
1.5 oz parmesan cheese grated
1.5 oz. Romano cheese grated.

Steps: 1 cup pasta water, not regular spaghetti

  1. Cook the pasta per the package directions and reserve 1 cup of pasta water when done, drain and return to the pot.
  2. Cut the stick pepperoni into 1/8th inch slices and cut each slice in half. Set aside.
  3. While the pasta is cooking, in a deep saucepan pour in the olive oil, and add the garlic, capers, and stick pepperoni allow to heat at medium for about 5 minutes.
  4. Next carefully add the tomatoes and mushrooms and allow to cook at medium high for 10 minutes stirring occasionally- many of the tomatoes should remain whole.
  5. After 10 minutes turn off the heat and add the butter, pepper flakes, and sugar and mix to combine. Pour the mixture into the pot with the pasta and mix well. Next add the spinach and white balsamic and place the cover on top for about 3 minutes. Remove the cover and mix thoroughly until the spinach begins to wilt down, then add the parmesan and Romano and give a final mix. Place into bowls and serve with grilled Italian or sourdough bread slices.