Textual Chef Textual Chef

Simple Mushroom Penne with Walnut Pesto

A simple vegetarian pasta dish featuring butter-sauteed golden mushrooms, penne, and a quick homemade walnut pesto.

40 minEasyServes 4462 cal/serving

AmericanDinnerStovetop and BlenderVegetarianEgg-FreeSoy-FreeShellfish-FreeSesame-FreePork-FreeAlcohol-FreeCorn-Free

Cook this free in the appFree. No download, no account. The screen stays awake and each step can run its own timer.

Ingredients

  • 8 oz penne pasta
  • 4 tbsp butter
  • 16 oz fresh mushrooms, sliced
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 cup walnuts
  • 1 1/2 cups spinach or basil, packed
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • to taste salt and pepper

Instructions

  1. 1

    Cook 8 oz penne pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

  2. 2

    Toast 1 cup walnuts in a small skillet over low heat without oil for 5 minutes until fragrant. Pulse toasted walnuts, 1 1/2 cups packed spinach or basil, 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 clove garlic, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and to taste salt and pepper in a food processor until mostly smooth.

  3. 3

    Melt 4 tbsp butter in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add 16 oz sliced fresh mushrooms and saute for 8-10 minutes until deep golden brown. Stir in cooked penne pasta, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley, and to taste salt and pepper.

  4. 4

    Divide pasta into bowls and top or toss with the walnut pesto.

Cook this free in the appCooking it now? The app keeps the screen awake and times each step. Free, nothing to install.

Questions

How do I know when Simple Mushroom Penne with Walnut Pesto is done?

Go by the cues in the method rather than the clock. Step 3: cook until deep golden brown.

Is toasting the nuts or seeds for Simple Mushroom Penne with Walnut Pesto necessary?

Step 2 reads: "Toast 1 cup walnuts in a small skillet over low heat without oil for 5 minutes until fragrant." It is quick and it shows. Step 2 browns the natural oils, which deepens the flavor; raw, they taste flat by comparison. Watch the pan, because they go from toasted to burnt in under a minute.

Is there a substitute for Parmesan in Simple Mushroom Penne with Walnut Pesto?

The entry for Simple Mushroom Penne with Walnut Pesto calls for 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated. In its place: Pecorino Romano or Grana Padano, measure for measure. For dairy-free, use nutritional yeast at half the volume.

Can I make Simple Mushroom Penne with Walnut Pesto dairy-free?

Not cleanly. Here the dairy (4 tbsp butter, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated, 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded) is the backbone of the dish, and plant-based substitutes change both its texture and its flavor. If you need strictly dairy-free, start from the dairy-free dinner collection instead.

Does Simple Mushroom Penne with Walnut Pesto contain tree nuts?

Yes: 1 cup walnuts. The full allergen list for this entry is gluten, dairy and tree nuts. Where the nuts are a garnish or a texture, toasted sunflower or pumpkin seeds stand in. Packaged ingredients vary by brand, so check labels if the allergy is serious.

Serve it with

Cook this free in the app

Textual Chef is 4,530 plain-text recipes, free to read and free to cook from. No account, no paywall, no ads, no life stories. Open this one in the app and each quantity sits inside the step that uses it, so you read once and cook.

Every recipe is curated or public-domain sourced, written to one template and checked before it publishes. Nothing here is a scraped blog post.

Cook this free in the appNo download needed. It opens in your browser. The kitchen tools (planner, shopping list, pantry, import) are $5.33 a month billed annually; the first 30 days are free.

More American entries

All American recipes · All Dinner recipes · All Mushroom recipes