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    Home » Dinner

    Garlic Mushroom and Pesto Pasta

    Published: Jul 28, 2023 · Modified: Jun 1, 2024 by Louise-Claire Cayzer · This post may contain affiliate links · This blog generates income via ads · 1 Comment

    Jump to Recipe

    This pesto mushroom pasta is an easy mid-week dinner. Made with fresh pesto and lots of garlic infused mushrooms, then tossed through your favorite pasta! It's a quick but delicious meal that can be whizzed up in under half an hour. Best of all? It tastes restaurant quality, but without the price tag.

    Mushroom and pesto pasta ready to eat. this recipe

    Everyone needs a pasta dish that can be made up in pretty much the time it takes to boil the water and pasta. This combination of garlic mushrooms and fresh pesto is utterly addictive, but also super versatile too, as it can be adapted to what you have available. Not only that, this is one recipe that I guarantee you the whole family will love, and beg you to make again and again.

    If you've made a fresh batch of pesto, such as my vegan basil pesto, this recipe is extra delicious (I've included basic instructions below, but click the link above for extra tips and tricks) but don't worry if you haven't, you can use a good shop bought vegan pesto instead. It's also just as delicious made with other pestos, such as this Parsley Pesto with Pistachios.

    Jump to:
    • 🍄Ingredients
    • 👩‍🍳Instructions
    • 🌶Substitutions and Variations
    • 🔪Equipment
    • 🫙Storage
    • ❗️Top tip
    • FAQ
    • More Pasta
    • Salads and more..
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Comments

    🍄Ingredients

    Ingredients for mushroom pesto pasta laid out.
    • Pasta of choice: Spaghetti, linguini, penne or if it's what you prefer, a gluten free pasta such as rice or chickpea pasta.
    • Fresh Chestnut mushrooms (these are also called cremini mushrooms). Or choose baby bella mushrooms, oyster mushroms, white mushrooms or any variety of wild mushrooms.
    • Lots of fresh garlic cloves: This is definitely one of those recipes where more is more. I like to slice my garlic rather than crush for this recipe as it caramelises along with the mushrooms better.
    • Chili Flakes: to taste. A few red pepper flakes or chili flakes really makes this recipe sing.
    • Extra Virgin Olive Oil: to sautee the mushrooms
    • Pine Nuts to garnish: Optional, but I like the texture and crunch they bring.
    • Flakey Sea Salt: to bring out the mushroom flavour.
    • Extra fresh basil leaves to garnish (optional but lovely!)

    For the basil pesto

    If you choose to make your own homemade vegan pesto for this recipe, you will need the following ingredients. Otherwise choose your favourite store-bought pesto.

    • Fresh Basil: freshly picked and aromatic with a sweetly peppery flavour.
    • Pine Nuts: European Pine nuts are traditional to use in pesto, however you could use walnuts, cashews or pistachios.
    • Crushed Garlic: Usually a single clove of fresh garlic is enough.
    • Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Good quality extra virgin olive oil is essential for the flavour and finish of the pesto.
    • Nutritional Yeast: Traditionally pesto uses non-vegetarian hard cheeses, including Pecorino Sardo or Parmeggiano Reggiano. We substitute the parmesan cheese for nutritional yeast which has a nutty, cheesy flavor that works perfectly to make this pesto both dairy free and vegan.
    • Sea Salt: flakey sea salt is a must, as it adds overall flavour and mouth feel.
    • Optional- a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

    👩‍🍳Instructions

    1. Get your pasta pot ready with plenty of boiling water in it.
    2. Slice the garlic and mushrooms.
    3. Toast the pine nuts until golden brown if using. (or if making the pesto from scratch)
    Basil Pesto ready to use.

    3.If you are going to make the vegan basil pesto, start by whizzing up the pesto ingredients in your food processor. Head to my Vegan Basil Pesto recipe for extra instructions and tips.

    4. Slice the mushrooms, then add dry to a large skillet or frying pan. They will start to sizzle and roast. Leave for 5 minutes until they release their juices and start to cook down.

    5. Once the mushrooms have caramelised and started to shrink down, add the olive oil, chilli and garlic and leave to sizzle.

    6. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook until al dente, according to the package instructions.

    7. Once the pasta is cooked, reserve half a cup of the cooking water, and drain the pasta. Then toss in 3 tablespoons (or more if desired) of pesto with the cooked pasta, then mix in the cooking water. This is what helps the pesto become a sauce.

    8. Toss in the mushrooms and toasted pine nuts with the pesto pasta. Sprinkle some extra pine nuts and fresh basil on top to serve.

    Hint: If you do choose to toast pine nuts to make pesto or to use in the pasta, be sure to watch them carefully as they go from not cooked to burnt in a flash!

    🌶Substitutions and Variations

    The nice thing about this mushroom and pesto pasta recipe is how easy it is to customise, which makes it perfect as a last minute meal or quick mid-week dinner.

    • Creamy Pesto Pasta - if you're craving a creamy pasta, add in 3 tablespoons or more of your favourite plant based cream (I like oat cream) or creme fraiche at the same time you add in the pesto.
    • Gluten Free - the sauce for this recipe is naturally gluten free, so choose your favourite gluten free pasta instead of regular pasta.
    • Spicy - I add some chilli flakes to the mushrooms, but go ahead and add more, or even add chilli sauce if you like spice!
    • Other pestos: This recipe can be used with any variety of pesto that you like. I love to use a sundried tomato pesto, or in season, wild garlic pesto or spinach pesto.
    • Cherry Tomatoes: add some cherry tomatoes in while cooking off the mushrooms for a burst of fresh flavor. You could also add in some sliced sundried tomatoes.
    • If you have a nut allergy, you can use sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds in place of the pine nuts.

    🔪Equipment

    The pesto section of this recipe is super easy to make if you have a food processor. I love using my Kenwood processor. It's very old now, but you can find a similar one on Amazon.

    I also love to use an iron skillet to cook my mushrooms in. The way it heats up the mushrooms and cooks them through is just perfect. Don't worry if you don't have one though, a standard frying pan will also work well.

    🫙Storage

    You can store leftovers of the pesto pasta for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge. You can reheat it, or eat it cold, standing up at the kitchen counter at midnight (it's good like that, don't judge me!).

    The pesto on it's own will keep in a jar in the fridge for 2-3 weeks if you cover it with olive oil. You can also freeze the pesto in an icecube tray, then pop out the cubes and put into a container, ready to use another day. (Which makes prep for another one of these pasta dinners a total breeze!)

    ❗️Top tip

    Cooking the mushrooms without oil to start with, gives them a delicious roasted flavour that really enhances the overall impact of this dish.

    FAQ

    Do I heat the pesto before putting it on the pasta?

    There is no need to heat the pesto before putting it on pasta. Simply stir the pesto through hot pasta with a little of the pasta cooking water to creatre a delicious sauce.

    Do mushrooms go with pesto pasta?

    Mushrooms are delicious with pesto pasta. Simply fry them with garlic for a delicious, easy dinner.

    More Pasta

    Love Pasta? Why not try out some of my other delicious pasta recipes.

    • A bowl of asparagus and pea pasta salad ready to eat with some lemons in the background and a little jug of extra dressing in the foreground.
      Asparagus & Pea Spring Pasta Salad with Lemon Dressing
    • A plate of spaghetti with vegan mushroom scallops on top. Next to the plate is a glass of white wine and half a lemon.
      Vegan Scallops with Garlic Pasta (King Oyster Mushroom)
    • A casserole dish with vegan tuna noodle casserole in it ready to eat.
      Vegan Tuna Casserole (Tu-no Noodle)
    • A pan of gnocchi broccoli bake ready to eat.
      Cheesy Gnocchi Broccoli Bake: Dairy Free

    Salads and more..

    These are my favorite dishes to serve with this vegan pesto and mushroom pasta:

    • A plate of lentil salad with spiced roasted carrots ready to eat.
      Spiced Roasted Carrot and Lentil Salad
    • A plate of salad with grilled nectarines, arugula (rocket salad), raspberries and pistachio nuts.
      Grilled Nectarine (or Peach) Arugula Salad
    • Goma Dressing in a little bowl ready to eat.
      Goma Dressing: Japanese Roasted Sesame Salad Dressing
    • Grated carrot salad on a little plate ready to eat.
      Grated French Raw Carrot Salad (Carottes Râpées)

    If you love this recipe, please share this post with your friends on Pinterest or Facebook, or tag me on Insta! Don't forget to also please comment and star ⭐this recipe too!

    Love & Vegan Yummies, Louise xx (P.S. Follow me on Insta and Tik Tok!)

    📖 Recipe

    A bowl of mushroom pesto pasta, ready to eat.

    Mushroom Pesto Pasta

    Louise-Claire Cayzer
    An easy quick dinner that comes together in no time! Perfect for when you are hungry and need something delicious
    5 from 1 vote
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 10 minutes mins
    Cook Time 15 minutes mins
    Total Time 25 minutes mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 2 portions
    Calories 589 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 food processor
    • 1 Large Saucepan
    • 1 Frying Pan

    Ingredients Note:

    For accuracy, I measure all ingredients in metric as standard, then convert and test the recipe for American cup measurements etc.

    (Heads up Aussie and UK readers- your measurements in cups are sometimes different, so please use metric or check you have the correct cup and spoon type!!)

    Ingredients

    To make the pesto from scratch

    • 55 g (3.¾ oz) Fresh basil (About two big handfuls or one bunch.)
    • 75 g (¾ cups) pine nuts (you can also use cashew nuts, pumpkin or sunflower seeds. )
    • 22 g (3 tablespoon) nutritional yeast
    • 45 ml (3 tablespoon) Olive oil (extra virgin)
    • 1 clove garlic
    • 1 teaspoon Maldon or Kosher Salt

    For the pasta

    • 180 g (6 ⅓ oz) pasta (90g per person or more if you are hungry!)
    • 1 teaspoon salt for boiling pasta (*)
    • 250 g (½ lb) mushrooms
    • 4 cloves garlic
    • 1 teaspoon flakey sea salt
    • 1 teaspoon chili flakes
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • 3 tablespoon pesto (either freshly made or shop bought)
    • 2 tablespoon pine nuts (optional)

    Instructions

    To make the pesto from scratch (Optional)

    • Wash the basil then dry it really well.
      55 g Fresh basil
    • Toast the pine nuts in a dry pan, be careful that they don't burn. Let them cool.
      75 g pine nuts
    • Put the pine nuts and garlic into the food processor and blitz to a fine rubble.
      1 clove garlic, 75 g pine nuts
    • Add in all the other ingredients and blitz.
      55 g Fresh basil, 22 g nutritional yeast, 1 teaspoon Maldon or Kosher Salt, 45 ml Olive oil
    • Stop every now and then and scrape down the sides of the processer
    • Blitz until smooth- taste for salt. Add more olive oil as needed.
    • Transfer to a glass jar & add a bit of olive oil over the top
    • Keep in the fridge and use in everything!

    To make the Mushroom Pesto Pasta

    • Put plenty of water on to boil for the pasta
    • Gently toast your pine nuts (if using) in a dry, no oil skillet and set aside.
      2 tablespoon pine nuts
    • Chop the mushrooms into large slices and place in the same dry (no oil) skillet or frying pan to cook.
      250 g mushrooms
    • Chop the garlic and have your pesto ready to go (you can make your own pesto as per above, or use shop bought)
      4 cloves garlic
    • Press the mushrooms down with the back of a wooden spoon/spatula so they really get into good contact with the heat. This releases their juices and gets them nice and brown.
    • By now your pasta water should be boiled, so add your pasta to the water, along with the pasta water salt and boil as per the pasta instructions.
      180 g pasta, 1 teaspoon salt for boiling pasta
    • The mushrooms will be getting nice and crispy now, so add the chilli flakes (optional), olive oil and garlic and cook until the garlic softened.
      1 teaspoon chili flakes, 1 tablespoon olive oil
    • Once your pasta is cooked through, scoop out a cup of water and put aside. Drain the pasta and put back into the pasta pot.
    • Add the pesto and a little of the pasta cooking water and mix well. Keep adding pesto and a drizzle at a time of pasta water until you have a nicely mixed in pesto.
      3 tablespoon pesto
    • Add the mushrooms, a sprinkle of flakey sea salt and the toasted pine nuts and mix. You can reserve a few mushrooms and pine nuts to sprinkle on top to serve.
      1 teaspoon flakey sea salt
    • S

    Notes

    Nutritional Yeast is a cheesy flavoured sprinkle that is made from a strain of yeast that is grown on molasses. It's really high in B vitamins and makes a great alternative to parmesan cheese to sprinkle.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 589kcalCarbohydrates: 77gProtein: 19gFat: 24gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 5gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gCholesterol: 2mgSodium: 1403mgPotassium: 702mgFiber: 5gSugar: 6gVitamin A: 754IUVitamin C: 5mgCalcium: 75mgIron: 3mg
    Tried this recipe and loved it? Follow and Mention @vegan_larder or comment and ⭐ below

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      5 from 1 vote

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    1. Choclette says

      June 10, 2024 at 8:30 am

      5 stars
      Pasta and pesto is one of my go to meals, but now I've tried your mushroom version, there's no looking back. I've never cooked mushrooms this way before - what a revelation.

      Reply

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    Hi! I'm Louise-Claire! I believe vegan and plant-based food should be easy to make, never scary and above all, absolutely delicious. Also, it's for everyone, not just for vegans!

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