ADZUKI PASTA WITH MORELS & SPINACH WALNUT PESTO

The amount of delicious and healthy alternatives to pasta these days amazes me. Gluten free or not, some pastas that are made out of buckwheat, quinoa, brown rice and even beans are so delicious, there is no point in even eating regular durum wheat pasta anymore! I discovered adzuki bean pasta a few years ago, but it's not really available in the average supermarket, so I had to do a bit of searching before I found any here in Geneva. Adzuki beans, if you haven't heard of them, are a little reddish/brownish bean typically found in Asian cooking and are highly nutricious. They are super high in protein (17.3g) and very low in fat, making them extremely healthy. They are also loaded with fiber, magnesium, potassium and iron. Have you seen a better bean? Sometimes you see red bean paste in Asian desserts, as they are a bit sweet and have a starchy texture, making them very versatile. I found this amazing pasta made out of them that only took about 8 minutes to cook. I ventured off from an Asian version and made a home spinach walnut pesto and cooked this with morel mushrooms, as they are in season now and beyond delicious. 

Husband approved.

Ingredients:

1 lb morel mushroom, stemmed and cleaned

2 cups adzuki bean pasta

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup frozen peas

1/2 cup white wine

1 shallot

1 cup spinach walnut pesto

Directions:

Defrost peas. After stemming and cleaning the morel mushrooms, chop the shallot and add to a pan on medium high heat with olive oil. Cook for about 10 minutes and add the white wine, reduce to simmer, add peas, and cook on low heat for another few minutes. 

In a pot with boiling water, add the adzuki bean pasta and cook for 8 minutes. Strain and mix in the pan with the morels. Top with pesto and serve.