A fallback pasta sauce for when you want a little weeknight luxury

Sign up to IndyEat's free newsletter for weekly recipes, foodie features and cookbook releases Get our food and drink newsletter for free Get our food and drink newsletter for free SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Here, I added quick-cooking prawns, heating them until they curled and turned pink, and then stirred in boiled pasta shells, and a splash of pasta water, for a saucier, heartier dish. Creamy mushroom and prawn pasta open image in gallery Just a thought: you could eat these creamy mushrooms over noodles or a piping hot baked potato instead Total time: 40 minutes Makes: 4 to 6 servings Fresh mushrooms, sauteed until just golden, give this dish an earthy base. Its creamy sauce coats the pasta shells making this an ideal bowl to eat while curled up on the sofa watching a movie or reading a book. Ingredients: Fine sea salt or table salt 225g medium pasta shells, or your favorite small pasta shape 1 tbsp avocado, grapeseed or vegetable oil 1 small yellow or white onion, chopped 1 small serrano or jalapeño chilli pepper, seeded, ribbed and thinly sliced 280-340g fresh mushrooms, such as portobello or button, wiped clean, sliced 1 large clove garlic, minced or finely grated 60ml cognac or brandy 180ml light cream or half-and-half 24 large prawns, peeled and deveined ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste Pinch ground nutmeg Fresh thyme leaves or parsley, for serving Method: Bring a medium pot filled with lightly salted water to a boil over medium-high heat and cook the pasta according to package instructions, or until al dente.