Pasta with Walnuts

Fettuccine with Walnuts 

Pasta with walnuts is one of those simple dishes that can be made in just 15 minutes.  This is the kind of meal I make for myself when my daughter is insisting she wants chicken fingers and fries and I’m just not in the mood.  This one is all about simplicity.  With just a few simple ingredients it’s easy to make a plate of walnut fettuccine with a luxurious feel that won’t leave you feeling like this is cop-out cooking.  

So when the little one is demanding something relatively simple to make for dinner like hotdogs and beans and I want something else, this is one of my go to meals.  What are some of your favorite dinners that are easy enough to make for one?  

Oh and for the record my tween daughter took one look at this luscious plate of pasta and declared “THAT LOOKS DISGUSTING”.   Oh well.  You can’t please everyone.  I assure you that if you like walnuts this is a wonderful dish.        

Pasta with Walnuts

Prep time: 5 min

Cook time: 10 min

Ingredients for One

• 1 ounce of chopped walnuts
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 tbsp heavy cream
• 1 clove of sliced garlic
• 3-4 ounces of gluten free fettuccine 
• fresh parsley
• grated Parmigiano Reggiano or Locatelli Romano cheese

Video Tutorial:  

Instructions

1. Cook the fettuccine according to the package instructions and once the pasta is 5 minutes from done make the sauce so that the cooked pasta can be added to the pan at the right time.
2. In a pan that’s large enough to fit the finished pasta add the butter and garlic and allow the garlic to sauté for a minute or two but don’t overcook it or it will get bitter.  (see note 2)
3. Add the cream and some salt and pepper to taste and stir to combine.  
4. Add the cooked pasta and stir to combine.  If the pasta and happens to look too dry as you stir it through the sauce you can loosen it up with a few spoons of the pasta cooking water. 
5. Add the walnuts, grated cheese and parsley and stir to combine then as you serve the pasta twist the fettuccine into a nest on the plate to maintain the heat. 

Notes

1. To add a more complex salinity to the dish, I often add two anchovy fillets to pan and break them up while I’m toasting the garlic.