My Creamy Rigatoni with Roasted Shallots & Walnuts is a simple weeknight pasta that is creamy and oh-so-flavorful. You start with a whole wheat short pasta variety of your choice—rigatoni, fusilli, penne or farfalle are ideal—and you add sweet roasted shallots, creamy ricotta cheese, buttery, crunchy walnuts and the bright flavor of lemon zest and Italian parsley for color. With the last minute addition of a bit of pasta water to the mix, this helps to lightly melt the ricotta cheese to make a simple sauce that coats each bite of the tasty pasta. This unique vegetarian pasta recipe is hearty as well as satisfying.
Quartered shallots & thyme, ready to be roasted
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Creamy Rigatoni with Roasted Shallots & Walnuts
Ingredients:
- 1 lb. whole wheat pasta (rigatoni, farfalle, penne, or fusilli)
- Extra virgin olive oil, divided
- Salt & pepper, divided
- 6 shallots, peeled and quartered
- 4 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2/3 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
- ¼ cup chopped Italian parsley
- Zest of 1 large lemon
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1 cup of pasta water, reserved
- Parmesan cheese, for serving
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. On a lined baking sheet, place the quartered shallots and drizzle with 1 Tablespoon of olive oil. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper, top with sprigs of thyme. Roast the shallots for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add in the pasta of your choice and cook for 10-12 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Drain the pasta, saving 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Place the cooked pasta in a large bowl and add to the bowl the walnuts, parsley, lemon zest, and ricotta cheese. Stir the mixture and add ¼ cup of pasta water. This will help a creamy sauce to form with the ricotta cheese. Add in more water if necessary. Add the cooked shallots (without the thyme sprigs) to the pasta and toss again. Season the pasta to taste with salt and pepper, and an additional drizzle of quality extra virgin olive oil.
- Garnish each plate of pasta with Parmesan cheese before serving.
Tagged: Italian, Italian parsley, lemon zest, pasta, ricotta cheese, rigatoni, roasted shallots, shallots, thyme, vegetarian, walnuts, whole wheat pasta
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