Mushroom Pesto Pasta (Printable)

Tender sautéed mushrooms tossed in creamy basil pesto sauce with fresh Parmesan. A sophisticated yet simple Italian dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or fettuccine pasta
02 - Salt for pasta water

→ Mushrooms

03 - 14 oz cremini or button mushrooms, sliced
04 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
05 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
06 - 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

→ Pesto Sauce

07 - 3.5 oz basil pesto, store-bought or homemade
08 - ½ cup heavy cream
09 - ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
10 - Salt and black pepper to taste

→ Garnish

11 - Fresh basil leaves
12 - Extra grated Parmesan cheese

# How To Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, then drain and set aside.
02 - Heat olive oil and butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the sliced mushrooms and sauté for 6 to 7 minutes until golden and tender. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Lower the heat. Stir in the basil pesto and heavy cream, mixing until combined. Add grated Parmesan and stir until the sauce achieves a smooth consistency.
04 - Toss the cooked pasta into the skillet, adding reserved pasta water gradually until you achieve a creamy consistency. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.
05 - Transfer to serving plates and garnish with fresh basil leaves and extra Parmesan cheese. Serve immediately.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent an hour in the kitchen, but you're done in thirty minutes.
  • The pesto melts into the cream and coats every piece of pasta like a silky hug.
  • Mushrooms get deeply golden and almost meaty when you don't crowd the pan.
  • You can swap in whatever pasta shape is already sitting in your pantry.
02 -
  • Don't skip reserving the pasta water, it has starch that helps the sauce cling instead of sliding off.
  • If you add the pesto on high heat, it can separate and look oily, so always lower the flame first.
  • Crowding the mushrooms in the pan steams them instead of browning them, so use a wide skillet or cook them in batches.
03 -
  • Use a skillet big enough to toss the pasta right in the sauce, it coats more evenly than transferring to a bowl.
  • Taste the pesto before adding salt, some store-bought versions are already quite salty and you might not need any extra.
  • If the sauce feels too thick, keep adding pasta water a tablespoon at a time, it adjusts the consistency without diluting the flavor.
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