Pesto Shrimp Mushroom Pasta is a perfect Summer dinner recipe! Large shrimp and spiral pasta are smothered in a delicious basil pesto sauce! If you love basil - this is the recipe for you!
Pesto Shrimp Pasta Ingredients
- olive oil
- large shrimp, peeled, deveined
- salt
- red pepper flakes
- white mushrooms, sliced
- basil pesto
- chicken broth
- spiral pasta
- chopped fresh basil
I used large, uncooked shrimp which I peeled and deveined and then cooked according to the recipe instructions below. Large shrimp really gives a rich flavor to this dish and makes for a nice presentation, too.
How To Cook Pesto Shrimp Pasta
- Heat a large skillet on medium-high heat until hot.
- Add olive oil - it should run without sizzling.
- Add shrimp, season shrimp with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, cook for about 3 minutes, turning once midway, until shrimp is pink and cooked through. Remove shrimp from the skillet.
- Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the same, now empty, skillet.
- Add sliced mushrooms. Season mushrooms with ¼ teaspoon salt.
- Cook, stirring until mushrooms release liquid and reduce in volume and get soft, for about a minute or two.
- Add back the cooked shrimp.
- Add ½ cup basil pesto and ½ cup chicken broth. On medium heat, mix everything to combine. Remove from heat.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain.
- Add to the shrimp with sauce.
- Top with chopped fresh basil.
If you love basil pesto - you'll love this pesto shrimp and mushroom pasta recipe! Enjoy.
Other Shrimp Pasta Recipes
- Shrimp Pasta with Creamy Mozzarella Sauce
- Spicy Shrimp Pasta in Garlic Tomato Sauce
- Shrimp, Tomato, Spinach Pasta in Garlic Butter Sauce
Pesto Shrimp Mushroom Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound shrimp large, peeled, deveined
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 ounces white mushrooms sliced
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup basil pesto
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 8 oz spiral pasta
- chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Heat large skillet on medium-high heat until hot. Add olive oil - it should run without sizzling. Add shrimp, season shrimp with ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes, cook for about 3 minutes, turning once midway, until shrimp is pink and cooked through. Remove shrimp from the skillet.
- Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the same, now empty, skillet. Add sliced mushrooms. Season mushrooms with ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until mushrooms release liquid and reduce in volume and get soft, for about a minute or two.. Add back the cooked shrimp. Add ½ cup basil pesto and ½ cup chicken broth. On medium heat, mix everything to combine. Remove from heat.
- Cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain. Add to the shrimp with sauce. Top with chopped fresh basil.
- Want to make basil pesto from scratch? Here is a super flavorful and creamy 20-Minute Homemade Basil Pesto Recipe.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Elena McCreery
We enjoyed this! I used gluten-free pasta, and lots of fresh basil and chives from my garden since I had it. I added a little pasta water to deglaze the pan after cooking the shrimp and to create more sauce. I did not have an issue with the dish being soupy mentioned in the previous comments, but I dried the shrimp and shook out the pasta well. This is very nicely flavored!
Julia
Elena, thank you for your detailed review! ❤️ Love that you used lots of resh basil and chives - I love fresh herbs, too!
Ellen
This was very yummy. Will make again!
Julia
Ellen, I am so glad you enjoyed it!!
Lori T
Oh fantastic and easy to add extra veggies. Will have again for sure
Sally Wilson
This was not good. I omited the chicken broth after reading previous reviews that said that it was too soupy. All I could taste was the basil. I won't be making this again
Terrie
I found a recipe for basil pesto that uses half basil & half parsley. I used walnuts in place of pine nuts. My co-workers love it. I think that would help cut down on the over powering basil flavor
Julia
What a great tip, Terrie, thank you! I agree - the homemade basil pesto is the key for the recipe like this one. I often use half spinach, half basil when making homemade pesto.
Here is my current favorite homemade basil pesto recipe:
https://juliasalbum.com/basil-pesto/
Debbie
I have been making this dish for a couple of years! We L❤️VE it! Decided to make it tonight! Hadn’t made in many months. Doubled it right down the line tonight! OMG, this is an absolute favorite! Julia thank you so much for this recipe and many others!!! This is an absolute winner in my book!❤️
Kristin
Way too watery for a sauce for me. Flavor okay. Nothing to write home about.
Regina
Based on the 5 star reviews, I must have done something completely wrong. Didn’t enjoy at all. I was disappointed that I wasted good shrimp.
Patty
My family really liked the recipe. I cooked some asparagus and cut it up in 1" pieces and added it at the end. It's in the cook again file. Thanks!
Julia
Patty, I am flattered that you added this recipe to your "cook again" file! 🙂
Davonne
Made it, was delicious. Would make it again.
Robyn
Rating this 5 stars because I’ve made your chicken pesto version. I’m not a creative cook per se but how would you incorporate the 2 salads? I want the ingredients in the chicken version but using shrimp. Would I marinate the shrimp in the pesto before cooking?
Linda
This is a wonderful, satisfying dinner. I used chickpea penne for the pasta and added a bit of baby spinach at the end. I felt that it was a very fiber and protein rich meal. Next time, I may cut back on any added salt, but that reflects my personal taste and may be due to using homemade pesto. Thank you, Julia. This is a winner!
Julia
Linda, thank you for such a wonderful and well-thought-out comment! Yes, if you use chickpea penne for pasta, it definitely adds fiber to your meal!
Connie
My husband really enjoyed it but I didn’t care for the basil pesto. It was to strong tasting to me. I think i might go with the tomato pesto as stated in another woman’s comment. That might work better for me. But thank you for the recipe
Julia
Connie, I am so glad your husband loved this recipe! And, yes, this pasta dish should work well with tomato pesto instead of basil pesto.
Kathy parker
This was delicious ! I made it with store bought sun dried tomato pesto
Next time I’ll have the basil pesto on hand Thanks so much
Julia
Kathy, I am glad you tried it with sun-dried tomato pesto and that it was a success! Thank you for the feedback!
Sherry Leonard
Delicious and easy, I added thinly sliced red pepper and muscles
And topped fresh Parmesan cheese with basil! Yummy
Julia
Sherry, I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe, and thank you for the 5-star review! 🙂
Jenny Q.
Tried this today. A few of us in the house don’t eat shrimp so I made it with chicken.Such an easy meal to prepare, especially if you already have pesto on hand. The only thing I may try next time is to combine Parmesan cheese to sauce. Overall very good, not heavy and not a lot of steps or ingredients.
Julia
Jenny, I am glad you gave this recipe a try and enjoyed it! I think adding Parmesan to the sauce would be delicious!
Jenny
Can this be eaten cold?
Julia
I would eat this warm. I think the basil pesto tastes the best when it's warmed up a bit.
Athena
Turned out amazing! I recommend adding minced garlic and chopped onion for extra texture.
Julia
Athena, I love your additions! Garlic adds so much flavor to food!
Heather
So delicious! Great family dinner for work/school night when you want a filling home cooked meal in a hurry! Quick, easy and affordable meal! Did I say delicious?!
Julia
I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you so much for stopping by and sharing this positive feedback and a 5-star review - I appreciate it!! 🙂
Shelly
I make this recipe at least twice a month. It's one of our favorite recipes. Thank you for sharing!
Julia
Shelly, I am so happy to hear that. Thank you for your positive feedback! 🙂
Agnes
Can you tell me please what kind of basil pesto?
Julia
I like to use 2 kinds of basil pesto:
1) refrigerated pesto of Buitoni brand
2) any kind of refrigerated pesto from Whole Foods market.