Pasta with Walnut Sauce
Italian pasta with walnut sauce is a creamy Ligurian-inspired dish with a rich, nutty sauce that clings beautifully to every twist of pasta.
Servings: 6
Equipment
- food processor optional
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups walnut halves
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
- 12 ounces whole milk ricotta
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish.
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- 1 lb shaped pasta, like fusilli, cavatapi, etc.
garnish
- Parmesan cheese
- reserved walnuts
- sage leaves, use small leaves whole, or roll and slice larger leaves into thin ribbons.
Instructions
- Spread the nuts on a microwave safe plate and microwave for 2 minutes. Let cool briefly then Put into a food processor fitted with the metal blade and pulse about 20 times, or until finely chopped. Set aside a small amount for garnishing the pasta. Note: you can do this by hand with a knife, but try to get the nuts finely chopped.
- Put the nuts in a mixing bowl with the garlic, ricotta, Parmesan cheese and olive oil. Fold everything together until completely combined. Add salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste (start with 1/2 teaspoon of each.) The sauce will be thick.
- Boil the pasta in plenty of well salted water just to the al dente stage. Drain, reserving a little of the pasta water. Return the pasta to the pan.
- Toss the hot pasta with enough sauce to thickly coat. Add a little pasta water to thin it down if necessary. Depending on your pasta and your preference, you may not need all of the sauce.
- Serve hot, garnished with Parmesan cheese, the reserved walnuts and sage leaves.
Notes
This recipe was first published in 2012, and has been re-tested, revised, and rephotographed in 2026.
Nutrition
Calories: 665 kcal · Carbohydrates: 62 g · Protein: 24 g · Fat: 37 g · Saturated Fat: 9 g · Polyunsaturated Fat: 15 g · Monounsaturated Fat: 11 g · Cholesterol: 35 mg · Sodium: 186 mg · Potassium: 365 mg · Fiber: 4 g · Sugar: 3 g · Vitamin A: 323 IU · Vitamin C: 0.4 mg · Calcium: 261 mg · Iron: 2 mg
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. This information comes from online calculators. Although The View from Great Island attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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