Fill and boil your kettle. Peel and thinly slice the red onion. Rinse and tear the mushrooms into small pieces. Peel and grate or crush the garlic.

Place a deep frying pan on a medium heat and add ½ tbsp olive oil. Add the onion, mushrooms and garlic to the pan, season with a pinch of salt and pepper, and fry for 8-10 mins, stirring often, till the veg are glossy and lightly browned. If they brown too quickly, turn the heat down and add 1-2 tbsp cold water.

While the onion is cooking, pour the water from the kettle into a large pan and bring it back to the boil. Add a large pinch of salt, then tip in the penne. Simmer for 10-12 mins till the pasta is al dente (soft with a slight bite). Scoop a mugful of water out of the pan (mind your fingers, or use a ladle). When the pasta is cooked, drain it.

Pour the soya cream into the veg pan and tip in 1 tbsp nutritional yeast. Add a small pinch of chilli flakes (they're spicy, so use as much or as little as you prefer). Stir in the baby leaf spinach. Bring the sauce up to a bubble.

Tip the pasta into the pan and stir. If the sauce seems too thick or dry, trickle in a little of the pasta water to loosen it. Taste and add more salt, pepper or chilli flakes if you think it needs it. Serve the creamy mushroom pasta in warm bowls with the pine nuts scattered over the top.