Silky Sicilian Penne
tossed with Zucchini, Mushrooms & Tomatoes
- Wheat
- Milk
If you’re mad for mushrooms, a fan of fungi, or crazy for creminis, this pasta will treat you right: It’s loaded with ’shroom slices! They’re the flavor backbone of this recipe along with rich mushroom stock, bringing all those deep, earthy flavors that you know and love. We’ve added al dente penne, a lemony, chive-flecked crème fraîche sauce, zucchini and tomatoes, and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese. Get ready for this umami-packed dish to hit your dinner table.
Ingredients
1 unit
Zucchini
4 ounce
Cremini Mushrooms
4 ounce
Grape Tomatoes
¼ ounce
Chives
1 unit
Lemon
6 ounce
Penne Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
1 tablespoon
Italian Seasoning
1 unit
Mushroom Stock Concentrate
4 tablespoon
Crème Fraîche
(Contains: Milk)
¼ cup
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
Not included in your delivery
4 teaspoon
Olive Oil
2 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Salt
Pepper
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry all produce. • Trim and quarter zucchini lengthwise; cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick pieces. Trim and thinly slice mushrooms. Halve tomatoes. Mince chives. Quarter lemon.
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and softened, 4-6 minutes. • Transfer to a medium bowl.
• Heat a large drizzle of olive oil in pan used for zucchini over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and slightly crispy, 5-7 minutes. • Turn off heat; season with salt and pepper, then transfer to bowl with zucchini. Wash out pan.
• Once water is boiling, add penne to pot. Cook until al dente, 9-11 minutes. • Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain well.
• While penne cooks, heat 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) and a drizzle of olive oil in pan used for mushrooms over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and season with 1 tsp Italian Seasoning (2 tsp for 4), salt, and pepper. (Use the rest of the Italian Seasoning as you like.) Cook, stirring, until tomatoes are softened, 2-4 minutes. • Stir in half the chives and juice from half the lemon. Reduce heat to low, then stir in stock concentrate and ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water (1⁄3 cup for 4). • Whisk in crème fraîche; season with salt and pepper.
• Add zucchini, mushrooms, and drained penne to pan with sauce; stir to combine. Stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) until melted. TIP: If necessary, add more pasta cooking water a splash at a time until penne is coated in a creamy sauce. • Divide pasta between bowls. Sprinkle with Parmesan and remaining chives. Serve with remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Apr 2026- Flavor: Many love the rich, earthy mushroom flavors and silky sauce, though some find it bland without added garlic or extra seasoning.
- Ease of prep: Generally easy to make with simple ingredients, though cooking vegetables separately adds extra steps and cleanup time.
- Suggestions: Add garlic, extra Italian seasoning, or red pepper flakes for more flavor; many successfully add chicken sausage or shrimp for protein.
- Leftovers: Reheats well and makes great leftovers, though mushrooms can get a bit mushy the next day.
- Sauce ratio: Needs more sauce for the pasta amount — add extra pasta water, double the crème fraîche, or use both packets.
Reviews from our home cooks
This is one of our faves! You could taste the flavors separately on the perfect al dente penne: the creamy mushroom sauce, semi-crunchy zucchini, sweet tomatoes and the lemony finish. It was like a party in the mouth!
I hate mushrooms and don't like zucchini. I bought this recipe because all of the dishes from Hello Fresh have been so good, I had to see if they could make something I wouldn't like. I loved this Chicken Penne. Yes, I tasted the mushrooms and zucchini, but it was still insanely flavorful. Loved it.
Divine, silky Sicilian penne with a lemon salt & pepper dry chicken breast strands (added) and HH white cooking wine (in lieu of lemon in sauce, added). Just needed to cook my mushrooms like said, and my zucchini thinner or oven or slow roasted. Superb and versatile menu item.
I was pleasantly surprised by this recipe it was delicious. I did tweak it a bit I cooked the penne in vegetable broth and added some fresh spinach with the tomatoes. It was soooo good.
Was a little too lemony but over all really good. It had an great freshness to the meal with the zucchini, mushrooms and tomatoes. I really love mushrooms so going to also leave a little bigger next time. Great meal! Added garlic bread as an side.
This is one of my favorite meals so far. The flavors are amazing and preparation is fast and easy. I didn't wash the pan between steps & I cooked my zucchini & mushrooms together. My sauce was ready in the time it took to cook the pasta. Precooked chicken could easily be added if desired, but certainly not needed.
The dish was JUST ok. I tossed a lot of the penne out as it overtook the dish & assisted in the overall basic flavor. I wish it had more texture, & a different pasta noodle. Gnocchi, perhaps? or a veggie/chickpea pasta? The lemon helped bring in the tang needed, although it needs a lot more flavor pizazz.
Very good dish. At first i scoffed at the penne as it reminds me of baked ziti.... This was a far cry from that! All the fresh vegetables and the sauce , the penne really was the perfect match. Yum!
The penne pasta takes way more time to cook than the recipe allows. I feel like it should say to start it a step or two earlier. Tastes just as good the next day, even cold.
I always love this dish. Really like the combination of zucchini, tomatoes, mushrooms. The simple sauce is nice. It takes me longer to make but worth it.
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