WALNUT SAUCE PASTA

I’ve been thinking of posting this amazing walnut sauce recipe for ages. It makes a delish storecupboard pasta sauce, it comes together in minutes and requires minimal ingredients. 

All you have to do is blending a generous handful of walnuts with a splash of olive oil, parmesan, garlic and a slice of bread soaked in milk. It’s that easy and you’ll be amazed how this creamy and flavorsome sauce will coat your pasta!

Traditionally made in a mortar and pestle, this simple Italian recipe comes from the Liguria region of Italy. It’s basically a walnut pesto, as rustic and delicious as its most-known cousin, the basil pesto.

And we love it, it’s rich and tasty without being overloaded with oil or cream. Plus, you’ll get plenty of flavor and nutrients from the amazing walnuts and it’s ready in a flash. What’s not to love?

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS WALNUT SAUCE

• Walnuts
• A slice of bread
• Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Milk
• Salt & pepper

HOW TO MAKE THIS RECIPE

While your pasta is cooking, make the sauce…

• Place all the ingredients in a small food processor
• Add about 4-5 Tbsp of milk or pasta cooking water
• Blend into a pesto-like consistency
• Adjust the seasoning according to your taste

• Drain pasta while it’s still “al dente”
• Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water
• Return the pasta to the pot and stir in the walnut sauce
• Add some of the reserved cooking water, as much as needed to thin out
• Toss to evenly coat and serve with a drizzle of olive oil and black pepper!

No time to cook? Rustle up a delicious pasta with this walnut pesto and save time and money.
Plus, the healthy and nutritious walnuts are convenient, inexpensive and packed with flavor. This scrumptious Italian pasta sauce costs less than $2.50 and it’s enough for 3 servings of pasta!

ARE WALNUTS GOOD FOR YOU?

Not only are the walnuts delicious, but they’re packed with vitamins, mineral and precious antioxidants and omega-3 fats. This rich nutrient profile offers potential benefits for both brain health and heart functions.

IS PASTA HEALTHY?

Pasta is definitely part of a healthy diet, as long as it’s eaten in moderation.
We love whole-grain pasta, it contains more natural fiber, vitamins, and minerals than white pasta. Plus, whole-grain pasta makes you feel fuller longer. If you haven’t tried it, it’s time to give it a go : )

VARIATIONS

If you love a creamier texture use milk instead of pasta cooking water, it will taste delicious. To add extra richness to the overall flavor, you can also add a splash of cream instead of milk.

HOW LONG DOES THIS WALNUT SAUCE LAST?

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

MORE PASTA RECIPES READY IN A FLASH? 

• 10-minute cream cheese pasta
• 15-minute garlic mushroom spaghetti
• 10-minute lemon ricotta pasta with spinach
• Sun-dried tomato pesto pasta

If you try this walnut sauce recipe, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram.
I would love to hear from you!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Walnut sauce with pasta

This quick and delish walnut sauce is perfect for your pasta: it's light, simple, delicious, it comes together in minutes and requires minimal ingredients!

Prep Time10 mins

Course: Condiment, pasta, Sauce

Cuisine: Italian, vegetarian

Keyword: Walnut sauce

Servings: 3

Calories: 604kcal

Author: Katia

Cost: $ 2.5

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup (3oz/80 grams) walnuts, shelled
• 1/4 cup (30 grams) Parmesan, grated or cut into pieces
• 1 (1oz/25 grams) small slice of bread without crust, milk-soaked and drained
• 5 Tbsp (75ml) milk, to blend the sauce (optional)
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• 1 garlic clove
• fine salt, to taste
• black pepper, to taste

Pasta

• 1/2 lb (220 grams) Pasta (spaghetti, fusilli, penne...)
• salt, to taste

Instructions

• Cook your pasta in salty boiling water until al dente.
• Meanwhile, tear up the bread, place it into some milk, and leave to soak for a couple of minutes.
• Put the walnuts, garlic, and grated parmesan into a small food processor. Squeeze out the excess milk from the bread and add it to the other ingredients.
• Add the olive oil, 4 or 5 Tbsp of milk or pasta cooking water*, and a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Blend them all together until well combined.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning.
• Drain your pasta and reserve 1 cup of the starchy cooking water.
• Return the pasta to the pot, stir in the walnut sauce and add as much pasta cooking water as needed to thin out and give a nice and creamy texture to the dish.
• Serve immediately with an extra drizzle of olive oil, freshly ground pepper and extra grated parmesan cheese you like.

Notes

This is one of those recipes where the quantities can vary, and adjusting the texture and the seasoning to your taste is quite easy.

Cooking water: add pasta water gradually, you might not need all of it. You don't want to water down the flavor, but only make spaghetti nice and moist.

*Milk or cream: If you prefer to keep this dish a bit lighter, blend the ingredients just using pasta cooking water, that's what I do most of the times. However, if you prefer a richer texture, you can substitute the pasta cooking water with milk (or even cream, if you like), they work just fine.

Flavor: don't skip a drizzle of olive oil and freshly ground  black pepper when you serve it, they really improve the flavor. You can also serve it with chopped walnuts on top, to add a crunchy texture, or with grated parmesan cheese, to add extra flavor!

Pasta: you can use any short, large or long pasta shapes that work well to capture the walnut pesto sauce. I love spaghetti, but penne, fusilli, conchiglie work fine. Mini pasta shapes like orzo or even elbow macaroni don’t work well in the recipe.

NOTE: Nutritional values are estimates only.

Nutrition

Calories: 604kcal | Carbohydrates: 64g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 9mg | Sodium: 217mg | Potassium: 323mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 111IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 194mg | Iron: 2mg