One of my best recipe finds came from a CSA newsletter — you might recall the Pottimaron squash and Gruyère soup I shared a few years back with its unusual method for making vegetable stock. The team at Groundworks Organics not only assembles a generous tub of freshly harvested produce for each CSA member, they also send a thoughtfully written weekly newsletter complete with recipe ideas.
This Creamy Pappardelle with Radicchio and Walnuts was inspired by that newsletter. It didn’t include a full recipe—just a single irresistible sentence: “…Case in point was an unforgettably simple meal in Umbria of fresh tagliatelle in cream sauce with toasted pine nuts and chopped radicchio on top.”
It’s a memorable flavor combination that’s simple to make. A silky cream sauce and toasty nuts pair beautifully with broad pappardelle and the peppery, pleasantly bitter bite of radicchio.
I swap walnuts for pine nuts because pine nuts are expensive and walnuts are almost always on hand. Walnuts give a satisfying, buttery crunch even if they’re a bit heartier than pine nuts.
The sauce is lighter than it tastes thanks to a trick I learned from my friend Helen of Scrummy Lane: use a little of the starchy pasta cooking water to replace part of the cream. The pasta water adds body and helps the sauce cling to the noodles while keeping the texture silky.
More Delicious Recipes with Radicchio
- Radicchio Salad
- Fregola Sarda with Radicchio and Hazelnuts
- Roasted Delicata, Arugula, and Radicchio Salad with Creamy Tarragon Dressing
Creamy Pappardelle with Radicchio and Walnuts
Ingredients
- 5 ounces dried pappardelle pasta
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ounce toasted walnuts chopped
- 1/2 small head radicchio thinly sliced into ribbons (about 3 ounces)
Instructions
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Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta until nearly al dente.
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While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring, just until fragrant. When the pasta has about 2 minutes left, scoop the pasta and roughly 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water into the garlic-butter pan. Continue to cook and stir until the pasta finishes and the liquid reduces into a silky sauce. Stir in the cream and heat until the sauce bubbles and coats the noodles. Remove from the heat and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Divide the pasta between bowls and top with the toasted walnuts and sliced radicchio. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximation.
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