Lactose-free mushroom and spinach pasta

A quick pasta with browned mushrooms, spinach and a light white sauce made from lactose-free milk. Parsley and thyme add flavour without needing onion or garlic.

Serves: 4
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 20 minutes
Total: 35 minutes

Ingredients

• 300 g dry penne pasta
• 200 g button mushrooms, wiped clean and sliced
• 60 g baby spinach, washed
• 250 mL plain lactose-free milk
• 20 mL olive oil
• 10 g cornflour (maize starch)
• 20 mL cold water
• 5 g fresh thyme leaves
• 10 g fresh parsley, chopped
• 1 g salt, optional
• 50–100 mL reserved pasta cooking water, as needed

Method

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Cook the penne according to the packet. Before draining, reserve 100 mL cooking water.
2. While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook for 7–9 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned. Add the thyme for the final minute.
3. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the milk and bring to a gentle simmer. Mix the cornflour with 20 mL cold water until smooth, then stir it into the pan.
4. Stir gently for 2–3 minutes until the sauce thickens. Add the spinach and cook for 1–2 minutes until wilted.
5. Add the drained pasta, half the parsley and the optional salt. Toss over low heat, adding reserved cooking water a little at a time until the sauce coats the pasta. You may not need it all.
6. Divide between four bowls, scatter with the remaining parsley and serve promptly.

Choose ingredients that suit you

Contains milk and, with standard penne, wheat. Lactose-free milk still contains milk protein and is not suitable for milk allergy. For coeliac disease, use a labelled gluten-free pasta and check every ingredient and cross-contact requirement.

This recipe is not labelled low FODMAP: button mushrooms contain mannitol, and standard wheat pasta can contribute fructans. If mushrooms do not suit you, replace them with the same weight of diced zucchini and cook until tender and excess moisture has evaporated. That swap alone does not certify the whole dish or serving as low FODMAP.

Keep the milk substitution separate from other dietary changes. A suitable unsweetened plant drink may work, but ingredients, allergens, fortification and sauce texture vary. Choose one that fits your established advice. This pasta is not designed for a starch-restricted CSID plan or a low-histamine diet.

Storage

Cool spare portions quickly in shallow containers and refrigerate at 5°C or colder. Use within 2 days or freeze promptly. Thaw in the fridge and reheat only the portion needed until piping hot, adding a little water to loosen the sauce.

Follow FSANZ food-safety guidance. Explore more recipes and our guide to lactose-free and dairy-free labels.