Sometimes, there’s nothing better than a nice big pan of pasta in a light, creamy sauce – and that’s what we have here. This fennel, leek and mushroom pasta is a delicious, vegetarian option for dinner on a weeknight.
Leeks are one of my favourite vegetables. I love their fresh, slightly fragrant flavour. So, along with my Anglesey Eggs last night, I wanted to produce a few recipes which would celebrate this wonderful, underrated vegetable which somehow manages to cheer up the winter months.
This is a moreish, creamy pasta dish which I’m sure you’ll love. It’s completely vegetarian, ready in 20 minutes and warming on a cold, biting day (it’s supposed to warm up by Saturday apparently, but for now the Winter seems to be clinging on…).
This will serve 5-6.
Best made in a nice big casserole dish like this one.
Ingredients, Substitutions and Variations
- Fresh penne – penne is the perfect shape for this chunky vegetable sauce. You can use fresh (my preference) or dried.
- Butter – leeks and butter go together perfectly, so it’s the best fat to use to start the cooking process. However, you can switch for olive oil.
- Onion, leeks, fennel and mushrooms – these are your vegetables for the dish. You can switch the type of mushrooms if you like – chestnut would be nice.
- Crème fraiche – crème fraiche is all you need to make that creamy sauce.
- Oregano – earthy, fragrant oregano is the perfect herb for this recipe.
Top tips
- Deglaze If you like, you can deglaze the vegetables with a little white wine before adding the crème fraiche. Simply pour a small glass of white wine into the pan, let it reduce by half, then add the crème fraiche.
- Additions You could add some cheese to this recipe – both halloumi and feta would work nicely.
- Make ahead This fennel, leek and mushroom pasta is absolutely wonderful for lunches through the week. Simply store in the fridge and microwave your portion for 3 minutes before eating.
Fennel, Leek and Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 500 g fresh penne or dried equivalent
- 10 g butter
- 1 onion
- 3 medium leeks
- 1 fennel bulb
- 200 g button mushrooms
- 200 ml creme fraiche
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling water until al dente. Drain.
- Meanwhile, slice the onion, leeks and fennel. Add to a large saute pan with the butter and cook for 10 minutes until softened. Halve the mushrooms and add these – cook for a further 5 minutes.
- Stir in the creme fraiche and 200ml water. Add the oregano, bring to a simmer then season with salt and pepper.
- Mix the sauce with the pasta and leave to sit for 2 minutes. Enjoy!
More quick and easy pasta recipes to enjoy:
- 15 Minute Creamy Chorizo and Leek Pasta
- 15 Minute Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta
- Parma Ham, Fig and Blue Cheese Spaghetti
- 4 Ingredient Pea and Cream Cheese Pasta
- Mushroom, Courgette and Ricotta Pasta
- Garlic, Chilli and Prawn Tagliatelle
- Quick and Easy Tagliatelle
- Artichoke and Pancetta Pasta
- Garlic Prawn Linguine
- Tuna, Black Olive and Tomato Pasta
- Pesto Pasta with Feta and Green Olives
Get the cook books:
This looks delicious! Thanks for joining in with Pasta Please 😀
Thanks for stopping by n liking the post… ur recipes are really nice n easy
Thank you!
Thanks for this recipe! It looks delicious 😉 Friday I went to the Italian restaurant and I was disappointed so now thanks to your blog I can cook penne al dente at home <3
I’ve enjoyed cooking with leeks before but definitely need to find more ways to incorporate them into my meals. Just noticed your potato and leek soup I need to go check out too. Thanks for sharing!!
Beautifully photographed! I love the lighting. Also, it makes me want to have a big bowl of pasta right NOW 🙂
Thank you! 🙂
I’m a big fan of leeks too. This pasta sounds scrumptious and I like the inclusion of fennel.
This looks delicious, I adore all the ingredients and i’m sure they’re a fabulous combination. I’m going to try it.
This looks great! I also love using mushrooms for vegetarian dishes, due to their “meaty” texture.
Me too! 🙂
I love leeks AND fennel! I think I am getting both in my delivery this week!!
Looks delicious! I love leeks too. Unlike most who like the leek soup, I like them sauteed with other vegetables, especially pumpkins or squash. This looks like something I would really like. Thanks!
My family loves pasta. This is definitely a dish I would make for them. Yum!
I’m a sucker for pasta dishes, and this one looks delicious! Sweet and simple, too 🙂
Oh yum! That is my kind of dish. How delicious. Do link up and add your recipe to this month’s Pasta Please
Just did, thanks very much 🙂
Well I was going to go to my favorite Italian Restaurant. Not now! Looks wonderful.
Wow I love this pasta recipe, it looks delicious, love the ingredints!
Thank you!
Oh I agree! Leeks are one of my favourites too. Indeed,they have been a very controversial addition to my Scouse recipe that I posted today. I have emails and texts about it ha! This pasta dish looks lovely as always x
Ooh, you are brave making changes to Scouse! x