lemon chilli spaghetti with garlic mushrooms and asparagus

This is my first post for over two weeks.. I've been off gallivanting on holidays and haven't cooked a single thing. Unless you count hummus and tomato sandwiches as cooking, in which case I've been cooking EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. Camping = hummus, tomato, bread, repeat. 

Today was my first day back to work and in true post-holiday blues style, all I wanted to do was come home, hit the couch and order a takeaway. I managed to refrain (!!) from hitting up Just-Eat  - need to save some £'s/lose some lb's now that I'm home and back to normality (boo). This dish is cheap to make, low in fat and really satisfying - hello carbs! 

This recipe yields four servings.

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 250g pack of chestnut mushrooms, thickly sliced
• 1 Portobello mushroom, thickly sliced
• 1 bulb of garlic, thinly chopped (I LOVE garlic, use less if this is too strong for you!!)
• Small bunch of parsley (leaves only), chopped
• 1 courgette, sliced
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 2 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
• 3 tbsp of tomato puree
• 1 red chilli, finely chopped (deseed if you prefer less heat)
• 2 tbsp chilli flakes (omit if you prefer less heat)
• Glug of red wine
• Dash of balsamic vinegar
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 handfuls of spinach
• 400g of dry spaghetti
• Bunch of asparagus tips
• 1 lemon

Method

Heat 1tbsp of olive oil in a pan, add the mushrooms then fry over a medium-high heat for about 4 minutes until they have softened and look golden. Add garlic and fry again for a further 2 minutes. Remove from heat and tip into a bowl with parsley. Set aside. 

Add the chopped onions to the pan and fry for around 2 minutes, add the courgette then fry for a further 3 minutes until everything is softened and the onions look translucent. Add chilli and chilli flakes to pan and fry for a minute. Tip in tomatoes, tomato puree, red wine and balsamic vinegar. Reduce heat and simmer for around 20 minutes until sauce has thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste (I used a tsp of salt and half a tsp of pepper). When sauce is done, stir in spinach and remove from heat. 

Whilst the sauce is simmering, prepare spaghetti as per package instructions and steam asparagus (approximately 10 mins for spaghetti and 5 mins for asparagus). Drain spaghetti and and fold in sauce. Top with garlic mushrooms and asparagus. Squeeze the juice of a lemon on top and serve.