Mushroom Pesto Pasta

A classic, simple mushroom pesto pasta with sautéed cremini mushrooms and vegan pesto.

Sometimes, you just need a big bowl of pasta at the end of the day. Whether you’ve had a rough one, or just want to treat yourself, this mushroom pesto pasta always hits the spot. Fast, simple, minimal ingredients = yes, please.

The whole thing comes together in the time it takes to boil a pot of water and you can use whatever herbs, nuts/seeds, and mushrooms you’ve already got on-hand. (For a shortcut, use store-bought pesto!)

How to Make This Mushroom Pesto Pasta

This weeknight-friendly dish comes together in three simple steps: first you sauté some mushrooms, then you make pesto in a food processor, and finally toss everything together with hot pasta.

Key Ingredients + Substitutions

• Pasta: This dish works best with short pasta (instead of something like spaghetti) because the pesto gets into all its little crevices. I recommend something non-tubular, like farfalle as seen here, orecchiette, gemelli, or shells.
• Mushrooms: I used cremini (aka baby bella) mushrooms here because they’re available everywhere. Feel free to use other types, like shiitake or oyster, but steer clear from white button mushrooms since they don’t have any flavor.
• Basil: Classic pesto is made with basil, but I encourage you to experiment with other herbs and greens, like parsley, cilantro, spinach, and even arugula!
• Nuts: Traditionally, pesto is made with pine nuts, which can be expensive and hard to find. I find it works just as well with almost any roasted nuts, including almonds, pistachios, and walnuts. If you have a nut allergy, toasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds work, too.

How to Make Vegan Pesto

As you probably know, traditional pesto is made with basil, pine nuts, and lots of Parmesan cheese. For vegan pesto, I use white miso as a Parmesan substitute. It lends a similar “cheesy,” savory flavor that rounds out the whole dish.

I recommend making a double batch of the pesto for stashing in the fridge. It’s great for spreading on sandwiches or tossing with roasted vegetables. Pesto also freezes nicely, which is useful if you don’t plan on using it up within a week.

With all that said, if you’re feeling lazy, this pasta dish will work just as well with store-bought pesto. Just be sure to look for a brand that uses high quality ingredients and no artificial preservatives.

More Pasta Recipes…

• Creamy Spinach Pesto Pasta
• Baked Greek Orzo
• Vegetable Lasagna with Cashew Ricotta
• Vegan Sun-Dried Tomato Gnocchi