This is the kind of pasta I make when I want something fast, comforting, and just a little different from the usual tomato or cream-based sauces. Garlic and soy sauce do almost all the work here, and deeply browned mushrooms give it a savouriness that’s hard to stop eating.
It’s a lovely Japanese-style pasta that’s been a home-cooking staple in Japan for decades. No cream, no cheese, just a few pantry ingredients and a good pan.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- ✔ Just 6 main ingredients, all pantry-friendly
- ✔ Ready in about 20 minutes — genuinely fast
- ✔ No dairy needed, naturally plant-based
- ✔ The mushroom-browning trick makes a real difference
- ✔ Easy to adjust with whatever mushrooms you have on hand
Ingredients (Serves 2)
Ready in 15 mins
Pasta
- 200g spaghetti
- Salt, for the pasta water
Sauce
- 100g mushrooms (mushroom, shimeji, or king oyster all work well), torn or sliced
- 2 large handfuls spinach, roughly chopped
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp mushroom powder (or veggie stock powder)
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 tbsp pasta cooking water (or more, to loosen the sauce)
How to Make Japanese-Style Mushroom & Spinach Pasta
Step 1: Cook the pasta
Bring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Reserve a little of the pasta water before draining.
Step 2: Brown the mushrooms
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, and cook for 30–60 seconds until fragrant — be careful not to let it burn.
Add the mushrooms in a single layer and leave them alone. Resist the urge to stir. Let them sit undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until deeply golden on one side, then flip. Then add the sliced onion and fry until they become tender.
Tip! Letting them sit still concentrates their flavour and gives a juicy, and savoury bite.
Step 3: Bring it together
Add the cooked spaghetti, spinach, soy sauce, mushroom powder, and a splash of the reserved pasta water to the pan. Toss everything together over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, until the spinach has wilted and everything is well coated. Add more pasta water if the sauce feels dry.
Tip: If you stir-fry spinach for too long, it loses its colour. So add it right at the end to keep it bright and vibrant!
Step 4: Finish and serve
Season with olive oil, and serve immediately while hot. Enjoy!
Tips & Variations
Storage
Best eaten fresh, but leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of water.
Make it your own
- Swap the spinach for any leafy green you have — bok choy or kale both work
- A few drops of sesame oil at the end add a different kind of warmth
- For extra texture, top with toasted sesame seeds or crushed nori
Nutritional benefits
Spinach
Spinach is packed with iron — something many women in particular don’t get enough of, which can lead to fatigue and anaemia. It’s a vegetable worth eating often.(*1)
Often called the king of leafy greens, spinach is rich in vitamins too: beta-carotene, vitamin E, vitamin K, B vitamins and vitamin C. Together, these support a healthy immune system and glowing skin. (*2)
Mushrooms
Mushrooms are full of fibre, including beta-glucan, which helps keep your gut happy and digestion running smoothly. A healthier gut also means a stronger immune system, so mushrooms are a lovely, gentle way to help fend off colds and other bugs. (*3,4)
References
*1, National Institutes of health /Iron – Health Professional
*2, USDA U.S Department of Agriculture/Spinach, cooked, boiled, drained, without salt
*3, USDA U.S Department of Agriculture/Mushrooms, white button
*4, NIH National library of medicine/The Effect of Mushroom Dietary Fiber on the Gut Microbiota and Related Health Benefits: A Review
A Little Background
Wafu(和風, Japanese-style pasta — has been part of home cooking in Japan since long before “fusion food” became a trend elsewhere. Garlic, soy sauce, mushrooms, and a good olive oil are about as Japanese-kitchen as Italian cooking gets, and the result never feels like a compromise. It just feels like its own thing.
I make a version of this most weeks, usually with whatever mushrooms looked good that day. It’s one of the dishes that taught me plant-based cooking doesn’t need to copy anything — it can just be honest, simple food that happens to need nothing else.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, though spaghetti or linguine work best for holding onto the light, savoury sauce. Avoid very thick pasta shapes, which can overwhelm the delicate flavour.
Use gluten-free pasta and a gluten-free soy sauce (tamari) to make it fully gluten-free.
Absolutely! I like adding well-drained, pan-fried tofu or a handful of edamame, both work well stirred in at the end.
Japanese-Style Mushroom & Spinach Pasta
Ingredients
- 200 g spaghetti
- some salt for the pasta water
- 30 g mushrooms (mushroom, shimeji, or king oyster all work well), torn or sliced
- 2 handfuls spinach roughly chopped
- 1 medium onion sliced
- 1 clove garlic thinly sliced
- 1 tbsp mushroom powder or veggie stock powder
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp olive oil divided
- 1 tbsp pasta cooking water or more, to loosen the sauce
Instructions
- Cook the pastaBring a large pot of well-salted water to the boil and cook the spaghetti according to the packet instructions. Reserve a little of the pasta water before draining.
- Brown the mushroomsHeat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, and cook for 30–60 seconds until fragrant — be careful not to let it burn.Add the mushrooms in a single layer and leave them alone. Resist the urge to stir. Let them sit undisturbed for 3–4 minutes until deeply golden on one side, then flip. Then add the sliced onion and fry until they become tender.Tip! Letting them sit still concentrates their flavour and gives a juicy, and savoury bite.
- Bring it togetherAdd the cooked spaghetti, spinach, soy sauce, mushroom powder, and a splash of the reserved pasta water to the pan. Toss everything together over medium heat for 1–2 minutes, until the spinach has wilted and everything is well coated. Add more pasta water if the sauce feels dry.Tip: If you stir-fry spinach for too long, it loses its colour. So add it right at the end to keep it bright and vibrant!
- Finish and serveSeason with olive oil, and serve immediately while hot. Enjoy!
If you try this, I hope it becomes one of those quick, reliable dinners you reach for often. Let’s build a kinder future together, one recipe at a time.
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