Name: Pesto Mushroom Penne
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 34 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 400 g bronze-die penne rigate; 500 g cremini mushrooms, sliced 5 mm; 400 g cherry tomatoes (mixed colors if possible); 200 g top-quality basil pesto (store-bought or homemade); 80 ml (⅓ cup) extra-virgin olive oil, divided; 4 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced; 60 g pine nuts, toasted; 100 g Parmigiano Reggiano, microplaned + extra; 25 g fresh basil leaves for finishing; Sea salt & lots of cracked black pepper; Optional: chili flakes or truffle oil; 60 g fresh basil leaves; 50 g pine nuts; 80 g Parmigiano Reggiano; 1 large garlic clove; 120 ml best extra-virgin olive oil; ½ tsp sea salt; → Pulse everything except oil, then stream in oil.

Perfect penne is tossed with butter-browned mushrooms, burst cherry tomatoes, and a vibrant, homemade-style basil pesto enriched with garlic, pine nuts, and Parmigiano Reggiano. Finished with toasted pine nuts, fresh basil ribbons, and cracked pepper, this is the fastest way to pesto perfection that tastes like an Italian holiday.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

This is the pesto pasta you’ll make every week from May to September. The mushrooms are nutty and golden, the tomatoes collapse into sweet-tart sauce, the pesto is bright and garlicky, and the bronze-die penne grabs every drop like it was designed for this dish. It’s ready in 20 real minutes, vegetarian (easily vegan), naturally gluten-free adaptable, and tastes like something from a cliff-side restaurant in Liguria. One bowl and you’ll be licking the pan clean.

Yield: 4

Pesto Mushroom Penne

Bronze-die penne with golden cremini, creamy basil pesto, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, and extra Parmesan – summer in every bite.

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 4 minutes

Total Time 34 minutes

Ingredients

400 g bronze-die penne rigate
500 g cremini mushrooms, sliced 5 mm
400 g cherry tomatoes (mixed colors if possible)
200 g top-quality basil pesto (store-bought or homemade)
80 ml (⅓ cup) extra-virgin olive oil, divided
4 large garlic cloves, very thinly sliced
60 g pine nuts, toasted
100 g Parmigiano Reggiano, microplaned + extra
25 g fresh basil leaves for finishing
Sea salt & lots of cracked black pepper
Optional: chili flakes or truffle oil

Quick Homemade Pesto (makes 200 g)

60 g fresh basil leaves
50 g pine nuts
80 g Parmigiano Reggiano
1 large garlic clove
120 ml best extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp sea salt
→ Pulse everything except oil, then stream in oil.

Instructions

Bring 6 quarts water to a rolling boil. Salt aggressively (3 tbsp).
While water heats, toast pine nuts: dry pan over medium, shake 4–5 min until deep golden. Reserve half for garnish.
Heat your widest sauté pan (14-inch) over high for 90 seconds. Add 4 tbsp olive oil. When shimmering, add ALL mushrooms in one layer. Do NOT stir for 6 full minutes — let them sear golden.
Toss mushrooms, season with ½ tsp salt, cook another 4 minutes until deeply browned. Push to edges.
Drop penne into boiling water. Set timer for exactly 9 minutes.
Add garlic + remaining 2 tbsp oil to center. Cook 45 seconds. Add ALL cherry tomatoes. Cook undisturbed 4–5 minutes until they burst and caramelize underneath. Toss everything together.
Reserve 2 full cups pasta water. Using spider/tongs, transfer penne directly into pan (water clinging is perfect).
Remove pan from heat completely. Add pesto + ¾ cup pasta water + ALL microplaned Parmesan. Toss vigorously 90 seconds off heat until pesto melts into glossy green sauce. Add more pasta water ¼ cup at a time until it perfectly coats each tube.
Still off heat, add half the toasted pine nuts, torn basil leaves, cracked pepper, and final 1 tbsp raw olive oil. Toss gently. Let rest in warm pan 4 minutes — sauce thickens beautifully.
Pile into warmed bowls, shower with reserved pine nuts, extra Parmesan, more basil ribbons, and a final drizzle of good oil. Serve immediately with chilled Vermentino and summer sunshine.

Notes

Use the very best pesto you can buy or make — this dish lives or dies by it

Bronze-die pasta is non-negotiable

Naturally vegetarian and easily vegan

Nutrition Information

Yield

Serving Size

1
Amount Per Serving Calories 472Total Fat 21gSaturated Fat 3gUnsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 167mgSodium 512mgCarbohydrates 51gFiber 10gSugar 8gProtein 24g

The recipes and nutritional information on Fungi Recipes are for informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare provider for personalized dietary advice.

Recipe Tips and Tricks

Use bronze-die penne rigate — ridges + tubes = pesto trap.
Brown mushrooms hard — 6 full minutes undisturbed for deep flavor.
Burst tomatoes in the mushroom fat — that’s your sauce.
Reserve 2 full cups pasta water — pesto thickens fast.
Add pesto OFF heat — heat kills basil’s perfume.
Finish with raw olive oil + extra pine nuts AFTER tossing — restaurant gloss.
Use the very best pesto (homemade or top-shelf store-bought like Rana or Seggiano).