Rustic Walnut Rapini Pasta
This hearty, flavourful dish is the perfect comfort food for a crisp fall day. The Italian sausage, combined with the savoury blend of garlic, onion and lemon zest is perfectly topped with toasted walnuts.
1/2 lb (250 g) hot Italian sausage meat, crumbled
1 cup (250 mL) sliced red onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup (250 mL) walnut halves, toasted
1/2 lb (250 g) rigatoni
1 bunch rapini, roughly chopped (about 6 cups/1.5 L)
1 tbsp (15 mL) lemon zest
1/2 cup (125 mL) grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
In large skillet, brown sausage meat over medium high heat, breaking up pieces with the back of a spoon. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in walnuts.
Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package instructions. Add rapini during the last minute of cooking. Reserve 1/2 cup (125 mL) of the pasta water in a measuring cup. Drain pasta and rapini in colander.
Add reserved pasta water, lemon zest and Parmesan cheese to the walnut mixture. Stir in pasta and rapini.
Serve with additional Parmesan cheese and chili flakes if desired.
Makes 4 servings.
Per serving: about 680 cal, 30 g pro, 39 g fat (10 g sat. fat), 55 g carb, 4 g fibre, 55 mg chol, 700 mg sodium. %RDI: 30% calcium, 25% iron, 150% vit A, 180% Vit C. 40% folate.
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Really yummy and healthy-tasting! However I tossed some olive pasta sauce in with the rigatoni to give it more flavour before adding the sausage mix.
Never boil rapini. It will become a mashy tasteless thing. Not to mention that all the nutrients will be washed away. Instead, when the pasta is ready, toss the rapini in with the sausage mix , saute for a minute or two and then add pasta.