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Mushroom Penne with Artichoke, Tomato & Pesto

A skillet pasta where cremini mushrooms, canned artichokes and diced tomatoes simmer in cream and basil pesto, then get folded through penne with grated parmesan. Rich and quick, thinned with a splash of water or extra cream if the sauce tightens.

main · Italian-American · vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 12 ounce penne pasta
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 12 ounce cremini mushrooms, stems trimmed, quartered (halve if small); king oyster mushrooms cut into coins work too
  • 14 ounce artichoke hearts, canned, drained and halved
  • 14 ounce diced tomatoes, canned, drained
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup basil pesto
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese, grated
  • salt and pepper, to taste

Method

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions
  2. Heat oil in large skillet over m-high heat. Add mushrooms in a single layer and cook 6 to 8 mins without stirring much, until they've given up their water and are deep golden brown; season with a pinch of salt only after they've browned. Add artichokes, tomatoes, cream, pesto & bring to simmer - stir frequently, about 3 mins until the sauce thickens slightly.
  3. Fold in cooked pasta & parm cheese add more cream or little water if necessary to create thinner sauce.
  4. Remove from heat season w/ salt & pepper

Notes

Mushrooms stand in for the chicken — give them longer and hotter than the original 3–5 minutes so the water cooks off and they brown properly, otherwise they'll thin the cream sauce; if you'd rather not use mushrooms, a drained 15 oz can of cannellini beans folded in with the artichokes gives bulk instead, and check that your parmesan is a vegetarian (non-animal-rennet) one.