Passatelli are a typical dish of two regions of Italy: Marche and Emilia Romagna; traditionally served in meat broth, we can also taste this recipe in different vegetarian versions, without broth, with the most varied seasonings: with vegetables, with truffles, with a cream of legumes or, as in this case, with baked mushrooms on tasty green spinach bechamel. This version has an extra feature: instead of wheat flour, it contains chestnut flour. I hope you like them 🙂

Ingredients (for 4 people):

for the passatelli:

  • bread crumbs 100 gr
  • chestnut flour 100 gr
  • grated parmesan cheese 100 gr
  • 3 eggs
  • one pinch of nutmeg

for the bechamel:

  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons of wheat flour
  • 3 glasses of vegetable drink (soy, oat or almond)
  • 2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese
  • fresh spinaches 350 gr
  • salt q.s.
  • nutmeg q.s.

for the dressing:

  • champignon mushrooms 300 gr
  • extra virgin olive oil q.s.
  • salt q.s.
  • some leaves of fresh parsley
  • 1 lemon (only peel)

Steps:

  1. Wash the spinach and cook in boiling water for 5/6 minutes; drain them under cold water and squeeze them well; keep aside.
  2. Heat the milk for the bechamel in a saucepan.
  3. Prepare the roux in a saucepan: heat the oil and add the flour turning with a whisk.
  4. Add the warm milk gradually and out of the fire; keep mixing with the whisk; put again the saucepan on the heat and stir until you have obtained the right consistency for the bechamel (it will take a few minutes).
  5. Now let’s color the becahmel: add the spinach, 2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese, a pinch of salt and nutmeg.
  6. Preheat convection oven at 180 ° C/ 356F.
  7. Wash the mushrooms and cut them into thin slices: lay them on a slightly oiled pan and bake for about 15 minutes; season to taste and keep warm.
  8. Now prepare the mixture for passatelli: mix all the ingredients together (bread, flour, parmesan and eggs); create the passatelli, laying them on a paper tray, helping with a potato masher.
  9. Bring the water to a boil, add salt and throw the passatelli, cooking them until they come up to the surface.
  10. Drain and season them with a tablespoon of oil; serve them on the warm green bechamel and cover with some mushrooms, the fresh parsley and some grated lemon peel.