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Ingredients
- ½ cup walnuts
- Salt & pepper
- 4 oz. fresh ricotta
- zest of 1 lemon
- 1 garlic clove finely grated
- 2 tsp. finely chopped oregano
- 2 oz. finely grated parmesan about 1½ cups, plus more for serving
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lb. rigatoni
Instructions
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toast walnuts in a pan over medium heat, tossing until golden brown, 5 min.
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let cool, then finely chop.
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bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil.
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vigorously mix walnuts, ricotta, lemon zest, garlic, oregano, and 2 oz. parmesan in a large bowl until well combined.
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add oil 1 tbsp. or so at a time, stirring well after each addition, until all the oil is incorporated.
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season pesto with salt and pepper.
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cook pasta in pot of boiling water, stirring occasionally, until al dente.
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scoop 1 cup pasta cooking liquid into bowl with pesto and stir gently to combine (it’s okay if some of the pesto is still in small clumps).
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Drain pasta and add directly to bowl with pesto.
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mix energetically until pesto thickens enough to lightly coat pasta, about 2 minutes; the pasta should have sauce clinging to it but there should also be some extra sauce that collects in bottom of bowl.
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divide pasta among bowls and serve with more parmesan alongside for sprinkling over.
