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Pasta with Sage, Walnut and Parmesan Pesto

Pasta with Sage, Walnut and Parmesan Pesto

Sage, rather than basil, makes for a bold, woody pesto that’s beautifully complimented by gentle ricotta and parsley.

By Courtney HillOctober 13, 2020

  • Makes
    4 servings
  • Cook Time
    30 minutes
  • Rating

The lessons we learned in Italy on how to make classic basil pesto also apply to nontraditional pestos such as this one. Grind the cheese, don’t grate it. Roughly chop the herbs before processing. Add the ingredients to the processor in stages rather than dump them all in all at once. Use pasta-cooking water to marry the pesto and noodles. In this recipe, Parmesan and walnuts add rich, meaty flavor; sage brings woodsy, earthy notes; parsley brightens with its fresh flavor; and a small amount of ricotta ties everything together with its creaminess.

Ingredients
  • 2

    ounces Parmesan cheese (without rind), chopped into rough 1-inch pieces

  • ⅓

    cup roasted or raw walnuts

  • ⅓

    cup lightly packed fresh sage, roughly chopped

  • Kosher salt and ground black pepper

  • ⅓

    cup whole-milk ricotta cheese

  • ⅓

    cup extra-virgin olive oil

  • Leaves from 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

  • 1

    Pound rigatoni OR paccheri pasta

In a food processor, pulse the Parmesan to the texture of coarse sand; transfer to a bowl. Process the walnuts, sage, ¾ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper until finely chopped, scraping the bowl.

Add the Parmesan, ricotta and half the oil, then process until smooth. Add the parsley and remaining oil; pulse until creamy. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente.

Reserve 1 cup water, then drain. Toss the pasta with the pesto, adding cooking water as needed to help the sauce cling. Season with salt and pepper.

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