Walnut Pesto

5 from 5 votes

This incredibly delicious walnut pesto is creamy and full of nutty, savory flavor. It's easy, quick to make, and sure to become your new favorite pasta sauce!

The recipe yields 1¼ cups, enough for 4 servings of pasta (combine the pasta with pesto and a splash of pasta cooking water until the pasta is well coated and creamy).

Prep Time10

Course: Condiment, pasta, Sauce

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Walnut pesto

Servings:

Calories: 604kcal

Author: Katia

Ingredients

1 (25-30 grams) Slice of ciabatta bread, crust removed
⅓ cup (80 ml) Milk (use more milk for a thinner consistency)
1 cup (100 grams) Walnut halves, shelled (plus more for serving - optional)
⅓ cup (40 grams) Parmesan, grated
3 tablespoon olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 small garlic clove, grated (about ¼ tsp)
¼ - ½ teaspoon fine salt, to taste
black pepper, to taste (plus more for serving)

Instructions

Soak the bread in milk: Remove the crust, tear it up, place it in a small bowl with milk, and leave it to soak for a couple of minutes or until soft.
Make the pesto: Put the walnuts, garlic, and grated parmesan into a small food processor. Whizz into a coarse texture. Add the bread with the milk, salt (start with ¼ tsp), pepper, and olive oil. Pulse until well combined into a pesto-like consistency, adding a touch of extra milk for a thinner texture.
Adjust the seasoning: Taste and adjust the seasoning to your liking. If the parmesan cheese is not salty enough, you might want to add more salt. It depends on the age of your parmesan.
Serve: Use your walnut pesto as a pasta sauce and serve it with a drizzle of olive oil, ground black pepper, and toasted chopped walnuts for a crunchy texture (optional). You can also spread it onto crusty bread or crackers or transfer it to a jar with a lid and place it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Enjoy!

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.

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

Nutrition facts: The nutrition values are for one serving and are based on an online nutrition calculator. They are estimates only and should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice. Please see my disclosure policies.

Nutrition