Pesto Rigatoni with Toasted Walnuts
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Upgrade an easy dish of pesto rigatoni with a mix of Parmesan, lemon, and buttery toasted walnuts that add special flavor and texture with just a little extra effort. This 20-minute skillet works as well for a breezy weeknight dinner as it does for an elevated side or meatless main for guests.
This recipe is exceptionally low-effort, high-reward! At its core, you have a simple pesto pasta—make pasta, add pesto, done—but the seemingly small addition of a few garlicky, buttery, slightly peppery toasted walnuts elevates everything.
Why You’ll Love Pesto Rigatoni with Walnuts
- Anything with fresh basil pesto is destined for amazing flavor and zing
- Super quick—about 20 minutes, start to finish
- Flexible: serve without walnuts for a kid-friendly pasta, then easily sprinkle on walnuts and lemon zest to elevate the same dish
- Thick, nubby, ridged rigatoni are always a crowd-pleaser
- Goes well with chicken, shrimp, or any other protein
Ingredient Notes
Perfect Pesto Options
We love a classic basil pesto with a hint of lemon zest, and I also love sneaking in a little zucchini or spinach sometimes. Both blitz right in without changing the taste!
There’s also no reason to shy away from store-bought to save time when it counts. Grab fresh, refrigerated pesto, which may be sold near the deli or fresh cheese. This is likely to outperform jarred pesto any day of the week.
Toasted Walnuts Make Everything Better
This really simple recipe has really simple steps, which I consider an asset, not a fault.
Success starts with the pasta. Cook it just to al dente in water that includes a really generous pinch of salt; this adds a subtle layer of flavor you can’t mimic later. Also take care to reserve a small amount of the starchy pasta water before draining off the rest. It will be perfect if you want to loosen or stretch out the sauce at the end.
Toast walnuts. Mix melted butter, garlic, lemon zest, and red pepper flakes; this will coat the walnuts as they toast in a skillet and is the ultimate flavor enhancer.
Put it together. Scoop the walnuts off to a plate, then transfer the drained pasta into the skillet. Add pesto, Parmesan, and more lemon juice. Stir well and add splashes of the reserved pasta water if needed to thin the sauce to a consistency that you like.
Garnish and serve. Top with walnuts, more Parmesan, and more pepper as desired.
Re-Purpose on Purpose
If you have more walnuts than you care to enjoy with the pasta, store for a few days at room temperature and toss them over a batch of pesto green beans. It’s the exact same method as I wrote into that recipe for a similarly zesty crunch.
Easy or Elegant?
Serve as a simple main dish. Pair this with steamed peas or green beans, or easy roast carrots with thyme, and call dinner done for the day.
Use as an elegant side. Pesto rigatoni also makes a nice side dish paired with Italian dressing chicken, balsamic pork tenderloin, or baked lemon shrimp. An everyday Italian salad and homemade breadsticks will round out the feast.
More Easy Pesto Pastas
- Salmon Pesto Pasta
- Gnocchi with Pesto and Charred Cherry Tomatoes
- Pesto Cavatappi
- Super Easy Pesto Pasta with Peas
Pesto Rigatoni with Toasted Walnuts
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rigatoni or other pasta
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup chopped raw walnuts
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/2 cup basil pesto
- 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cook pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt, then add pasta and cook just to al dente, according to package directions. Reserve a scoop of the pasta water in case you want it to loosen the sauce, then drain pasta and set aside.8 ounces rigatoni
- Toast walnuts. While the pasta cooks, set a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the butter, walnuts, garlic, lemon zest (zest only), red pepper flakes, and a pinch of kosher salt. Toast the mixture, stirring frequently, for 3-4 minutes, until the butter is lightly browned and the walnuts are fragrant and golden, but not at all blackened or burnt. Remove walnuts to a plate and set aside.2 Tablespoons butter, 1/3 cup chopped raw walnuts, 2 cloves garlic , zest and juice of 1 lemon, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, kosher salt and black pepper
- Combine. Add drained pasta to the skillet, followed by the pesto, Parmesan, about 1 teaspoon of lemon juice, and a pinch of black pepper. Stir well. If you want a thinner sauce, stir in reserved pasta water a splash at a time until it reaches your desired consistency. Sample and season with more salt, pepper, Parmesan, and lemon juice as desired.1/2 cup basil pesto, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- Garnish and serve. Scoop pasta into bowls, sprinkle with walnuts, and add extra lemon wedges or Parmesan if you like. Enjoy!
Notes
- Homemade Pesto Recipes: We love a classic basil pesto with a hint of lemon zest. Zucchini pesto or spinach pesto taste just as good and incorporate some good vegetables!
- Store-Bought Pesto Tip: There’s no reason not to save time with store-bought when needed. My best advice is to grab fresh, refrigerated pesto, which may be sold near the deli or fresh cheese. This is likely to outperform jarred pesto any day of the week.
- Extra Walnuts? If you have more walnuts than you care to enjoy with the pasta, store for a few days at room temperature and toss them over a batch of pesto green beans. It’s the exact same method as I wrote into that recipe for a similarly zesty crunch.
Nutrition Estimate
This post was originally published on March 24, 2021 and has been updated with new photos and more streamlined post text. The recipe is unchanged.
