Basil Pesto Pasta with Mushrooms

square image of pesto pasta served in black plate with cherry tomato on top

5 from 1 vote

Easy-peasy and creamy pesto pasta recipe with homemade pesto - A delicious vegetarian pasta recipe that's perfect for weeknight dinners and for parties and potlucks too!

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: basil pesto pasta

Servings:

Calories: 334kcal

Author: Srividhya G

Equipment

saucepan or Dutch oven

Ingredients

Measurement Details: 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;

For cooking the pasta

6 to 8 cups water
2 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil
320 grams angel hair pasta ¾ of the 1 lb pasta packet

For the pesto pasta

⅔ cup of pasta water
2 tbsp olive oil
10 brown bella mushrooms approx 200 grams
½ tsp salt for the mushrooms
10 to 12 tbsp pesto I used the entire ¾ cup of the pesto that I prepared
¼ to ½ tsp ground pepper
¼ cup heavy cream optional
5 to 6 heirloom tomatoes or cherry tomatoes to garnish
¼ cup pine nuts toasted optional

Instructions

Cook the pasta

Add water to a saucepan and add salt and olive oil. Bring it to a rolling boil.
Add pasta to the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions.
Reserve ⅔ cup of pasta water and drain the remaining water.

Toast the pine nuts

Heat a pan and add the pine nuts.
Toast the nuts until they turn light brown. Set them aside.

Prepare the pesto pasta.

Heat a pan and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the chopped mushrooms and ½ tsp of salt.
Saute the mushroom until they turn soft and tender. Reduce the heat to low.
Now add the cooked pasta, pasta water, ground pepper, and pesto.
Mix well, and if using cream, add the cream and mix again. Turn off the heat.
Add the toasted pine nuts, chopped cherry tomatoes just before serving, and enjoy it warm or cold.

Notes

Mushrooms are optional. You can skip them or use other veggies like broccoli, asparagus of your choice. Cook the veggies until they are soft and aldente.
If you are skipping the cream, you can add more pasta water if you feel the pasta is dry.
I did not add any cheese to this recipe. If desired, you can add more parmesan.
Adjust the pesto amount as per your preference.
Pine nuts and fresh cherry tomatoes add color and texture to this pasta, but they are optional ingredients. Add toasted nuts of your choice. Slivered almonds will work too.

Nutrition