Walnut Pasta
This Walnut Pasta recipe that I created is nutty, simple and holds a lot of flavor. I mean, just a few ingredients, and also it takes less than 30 minutes to prepare.
This can be the classic Italian Pasta with Salsa di Noci but do note that I have neither created a smooth paste nor have I used a Mortar and Pestle. Instead, this recipe is aimed at those people who have limited time in their hands.
Let’s check it out.
Ingredients
- Walnuts – they give the pasta its rich, nutty flavor and help create a thick, creamy base without needing heavy cream.
- Garlic – adds depth and a gentle savory flavor to the sauce
- Parmesan Cheese – adds saltiness, umami, and a slightly sharp flavor.
- Black Pepper Powder – gives the pasta a warm, earthy spice
- Pasta – I am using Fusilli here.
How To Make Walnut Pasta?
Boil the fusilli with salt and a bit of olive oil
On the side, boil the walnut and the garlic in water for five minutes. You can skip the garlic if you want but I prefer adding it because we are going to add the boiled water in the grinder as well. Boiling the garlic softens its sharpness, making it mellow and easier to blend with the walnuts.
After boiling for 5 minutes, cool it off a little bit for around 5 minutes.
Take a grinder and grind this walnut and garlic into a fine paste. The water that you have boiled, use that only.
Pour some oil in a skillet and add the paste. Let it cook for some time until it thickens a bit.
After it thickens, add grated parmesan and the crushed black pepper.
Mix it properly and let it cook for 1-2 minutes on low flame.
After that, add the pasta.
Make sure that the pasta is coated properly.
Serve and enjoy.
Walnut Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 oz fusilli pasta (or any pasta of your choice)
- ¾ cup walnuts
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper powder
- salt
- 1 to 1½ cups water (for boiling the walnuts and garlic)
- ¼ to ½ cup reserved walnut-garlic boiling water (for grinding and adjusting the sauce)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta with a bit of salt and a drizzle of olive oil.
- Boil the walnuts and garlic in water for 5 minutes. You can skip the garlic if you want, but I prefer adding it because the same boiled water will also be used while grinding.
- After boiling, let the walnuts and garlic cool slightly for around 5 minutes.
- Transfer the boiled walnuts and garlic to a grinder.
- Add some of the boiled water and grind everything into a fine paste.
- Heat some oil in a skillet.
- Add the walnut-garlic paste to the skillet and cook it for a few minutes until it thickens slightly. Add salt as required.
- Add the Parmesan cheese and black pepper powder and mix well.
- Add the cooked pasta to the skillet.
- Mix well until the pasta is properly coated with the walnut sauce.
- Serve hot and enjoy.
Notes
- Fusilli works well for this recipe because its spiral shape holds the walnut sauce nicely.
- You can adjust the amount of boiled water depending on how thick or smooth you want the sauce to be.
- Boiling the garlic helps reduce its sharpness and gives the sauce a milder flavor.
- Parmesan adds saltiness, so adjust extra seasoning accordingly.