It doesn’t get any easier than this toasty vegetarian pasta dish inspired by a traditional Ligurian recipe. Blending Fisher® Walnuts with Pecorino Romano cheese, lemon and some of the pasta cooking water creates a thick and nutty sauce that coats rigatoni perfectly.
Creamy Walnut Pasta
Walnut
Main DishPastaSaucesSide Dish
Vegetarian
prep
15
minscook
15
minsmake
8
servings1 pound
uncooked rigatoni
2 cups
Fisher® Chopped Walnuts, toasted, divided
3 cloves
garlic
3 tablespoons
extra-virgin olive oil
1
lemon, zested & juiced
1/2 cup
(2 ounces) grated Pecorino Romano cheese
1 teaspoon
ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon
dried thyme
Food Safety Instruction
DIRECTIONS
- Prepare pasta as directed on package. Reserve 2 cups pasta cooking water; drain pasta.
- Meanwhile, reserve 2 tablespoons Fisher® Walnuts for garnish. Pulse remaining nuts and garlic in food processor 10-15 seconds or until finely chopped. Add oil; pulse until well blended.
- Whisk nut mixture and 1-1/4 cups reserved pasta water in large serving bowl to form a creamy sauce. Stir in zest, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, cheese, pepper and thyme. Add hot pasta. Toss gently while adding additional pasta water as needed until evenly coated. Sprinkle with reserved nuts before serving.
Tips
To toast walnuts, place on parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Bake in 350°F oven 8-10 minutes or until toasted and fragrant, stirring occasionally.
Sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs such as Italian parsley or chives for an additional pop of color and freshness.
Pecorino Romano is a sharply flavored Italian sheep’s milk cheese.
Substitute your favorite Fisher® Chopped Nuts for the walnuts.
Use a blender or finely chop nuts and garlic by hand to prepare this dish without a food processor.
