This rigatoni dish definitely has Marche soul. zucchini AND walnuts. However, in the Marches with walnuts, preference is given to long pasta, especially spaghetti or fettuccelle. After all Marche is one of the regions that uses walnuts the most in first dishes.. Either as a single ingredient (see the recipe for Spaghetti with walnuts), or in the company of various vegetables: tomatoes, asparagus, chicory, zucchini and more.
Actually, white pasta with zucchini “and more” is quite widespread throughout Italy. Sometimes with nuts and with recipes very similar to ours. But “similar” is not the same, and often Small details make big differences..
We ourselves, for example, have already published another apparently similar Marche recipe to the one we propose to you. In fact, practically the same judging by the photos: see them here Penne with zucchini and mint walnuts. On the other hand, the aromas and flavors are very different, with onion instead of garlic, salty ricotta instead of pecorino cheese and, above all, mint instead of parsley.
We remind you in case you want to have fun with variety, because these two pasta recipes with zucchini and walnuts are really worth it. If you try them, it is very likely that they will become part of your regular menus.
Pasta recipes based on zucchini and/or walnuts are still valid today. frequent presence at our tables. Particularly for the anniversaries of the “dead.”For him Borrowed and, in general, for everyone Christmas Eve lunches and dinners.
After all, this is understandable. In fact, zucchini and walnuts, especially if cheeses and aromatic herbs are added, offer a perfect combination of sweetness, freshness and crunch. It is no coincidence that in the Italian tradition this combination is found in numerous pasta recipes, but also in risottos, omelettes and sauces. Not to mention the delicious raw zucchini and walnut saladwith lemon, pepper, oil and grana padano flakes.
Furthermore, there are two of them. Foods that combine perfectly also from a nutritional point of view.. Walnuts have important anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. They also contribute significantly to reducing cholesterol (especially the “bad” one) and improving the entire cardiovascular system.
Zucchini, for its part, has a low caloric intake, which allows the high caloric intake of walnuts to be well managed. But above all, they have a good content of minerals and vitamins, precious allies against cardiovascular diseases and for the proper functioning of numerous metabolic processes.
- 360 g rigatoni or other durum wheat pasta
- 350 g zucchini
- 8 walnuts
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 40 g grated pecorino cheese
- Parsley
- Pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Extract the seeds from the walnuts and chop them until you obtain a fairly fine grain, but without pulverizing them.
- Clean and clean the zucchini, cut them into slices or rather thick julienne strips. Heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a frying pan and fry the two sliced cloves of garlic. Add the zucchini, salt them and brown them over moderate heat for 5 minutes, turning them a couple of times.
- Add the chopped walnuts, a tablespoon of chopped parsley and a generous pinch of freshly ground pepper. Mix carefully, cover the saucepan and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Drain the pasta al dente, pour it into the skillet, and sauté it for about a minute in the zucchini-walnut seasoning.
- Remove from the heat, sprinkle with pecorino cheese (adding 2-3 tablespoons of the cooking water, so that the cheese blends well with the sauce) and serve immediately.
