The second day of rain has well and truly set in here in the Cáceres countryside. I'm holed up in the campervan with two very unsettled dogs, both trembling from the echo of shotgun blasts on the far side of the valley. To my ears, it may as well be next door. Three hours of this relentless barrage – no sign of letting up.

With nowhere to go and no chance of a peaceful dog walk, I turned to the comforts of cooking. This garlic mushroom spaghetti — made from odds and ends in the fridge and store cupboard — was exactly what the moment called for. One pan, one portion, twenty minutes. Sometimes that's all you need.

Garlic Mushroom Spaghetti with Chicken, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Green Peppers

The beginning of something good — Cáceres countryside

Sauté the mushrooms and green peppers until soft; stir in the garlic and tomato purée; and simmer with stock and almond milk until it thickens. Toss in the chicken and sun-dried tomatoes, add your cooked spaghetti, and season to taste. Done.

Serves: 1 Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

125g spaghetti

125g mushrooms, sliced

1 tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

75ml almond milk (or regular milk)

25ml chicken stock

¼ tsp dried thyme

1 tbsp tomato purée

1 cooked chicken breast, sliced or shredded

3 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped

½ green pepper, sliced

Sea salt and black pepper to taste

Method

Add the drained spaghetti, toss to combine, and season generously with salt and pepper.

Cook the spaghetti in salted boiling water according to packet instructions minus one minute. Drain and set aside.

Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over a medium heat. Add the mushrooms and green pepper and sauté until soft.

Stir in the garlic and tomato purée and cook for a minute. Add the almond milk, chicken stock and thyme. Simmer until the sauce thickens slightly.

Add the cooked chicken and sun-dried tomatoes. Stir through and heat for a minute.

Despite the weather and the warzone-like ambience outside, this comforting bowl of garlic mushroom spaghetti made everything feel a little more normal — even if only for a moment.

This recipe is also part of my growing Campervan Cooking Recipes collection — real van life meals cooked on a two-ring hob, no proper kitchen required.

This recipe is part of my Pasta Recipes collection. It joins a growing collection of pasta dishes — from quick weeknight suppers to slow-cooked ragù and baked Italian classics — in my complete Pasta Recipes hub.

Wonky photos, proper pasta, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef