Walnut Pesto Pasta {Salsa di Noci}

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This post has been sponsored by Nestlé® Carnation®. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Walnut Pesto pasta by enrilemoine

Raise your hand if you don’t want to spend hours in the kitchen but still want to enjoy delicious homemade meals. That’s exactly my current mood and for that reason, today’s recipe is a walnut pesto. In Italy, they call it salsa di noci.

Ingredients for salsa di noci by enrilemoine

This salsa di noci is a no-cook pasta sauce that can be made in less than 5 minutes while the pasta is cooking. That means you can have dinner ready in less than 15 minutes. Besides the walnuts, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and olive oil, I add Nestlé® Carnation® Evaporated Milk for extra creaminess. This is heaven.

Ingredients for salsa di noci by enrilemoine

Now that Carnation evaporated milk comes in a pretty convenient 17oz carton that is reclosable and can be refrigerated, I’m using it not only for desserts but also as a substitute for cream in quiches, omelets, savory pies, and sauces— like this walnut pesto, too!

Orechiette by enrilemoine

A good thing about Carnation evaporated milk: a little amount is inversely proportional to the delicious flavor and richness that it brings to your dishes, and now you can easily save and refrigerate it for your next recipe. I get the new Carnation evaporated milk at my local Walmart in the baking aisle.

Orchiette with salsa di noci by enrilemoine

A cousin of pesto alla Genovese

Salsa di noci is a Ligurian recipe. Liguria is a region in northern Italy, whose capital is Genoa. In Genoa, a seaport in the Mediterranean, Christopher Columbus and the world-known pesto alla Genovese were born. Salsa di noci is less well-known than its pesto alla Genovese cousin, but it is equally delicious and easy to make.

Walnut Pesto Pasta by enrilemoine

I used to have salsa di noci in my hometown, Caracas, in Venezuela. This wasn’t a sauce I had at home though… I used to have it at a local Italian restaurant named Da Sandra. Due to the immigrants that made Venezuela home after World War II, Italian influence is notorious and highly appreciated. The best Italian food was served in modest restaurants and trattorias. Da Sandra, run by an Italian lady named Sandra, was one of them.

Orechiette with salsa di noci by enrilemoine

How to make salsa di noci

My children love this nutty pesto and so do I. Trust me, you’ll love it too. Garlic and Parmesan cheese play a great role as flavoring agents. The addition of evaporated milk enriches this nutty no-cook mélange, making it perfect, nutritious, and comforting—not only for hot summer days but all year round.

Walnut Pesto Orechiette by enrilemoine

To make this recipe you will need some kitchen tools that you can easily find online through out my Amazon Affiliate Program, including:

Carnation Milk at Walmart

Below is a printable version of my recipe. I hope you like it as much as we do. Please subscribe to my YouTube channel. Thank you!

Pasta with pesto ni noci by enrilemoine
walnut pesto
4.98 from 35 votes

Pasta with Walnut Pesto

Salsa di noci is a comforting no cook white walnut pesto, perfect to be eaten with gnocci, elbows or orechiette. The best part, you can have dinner ready in less than 15 minutes.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Servings: 6
Calories: 579.5kcal

Ingredients

  • 1 package of orechiette
  • 1 cup of walnuts shelled
  • ¼ of pine nuts
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • ½ cup of Parmesan cheese grated
  • 1/3 cup of Nestlé® Carnation® Evaporated Milk
  • Coarse sea salt
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons of fresh curly parsley chopped

Instructions

  • Cook the orechiette al dente, following the package directions.
  • In the bowl of a food processor, add the walnuts, pine nuts, garlic, cheese, evaporated milk and salt.
  • Pulse and while processing, add the olive oil.
  • Keep processing until the desired pesto consistency is reached.
  • Serve the orechiette with the walnut pesto, shave some Parmesan cheese on top, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Pasta with Walnut Pesto
Amount Per Serving (1 cup)
Calories 579.5 Calories from Fat 270
% Daily Value*
Fat 29.95g46%
Saturated Fat 4.95g31%
Cholesterol 9.79mg3%
Sodium 155.09mg7%
Potassium 350mg10%
Carbohydrates 62.01g21%
Fiber 4g17%
Sugar 4.25g5%
Protein 17.67g35%
Vitamin A 267.56IU5%
Vitamin C 3.49mg4%
Calcium 175.34mg18%
Iron 2.1mg12%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Course: Pastas
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: salsa di noci, salsa di noci recipe, walnut pesto, walnut pesto recipe

Enri
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64 thoughts on “Walnut Pesto Pasta {Salsa di Noci}”

  7. 5 stars
    Soy un amante de las pastas, y para estar casado con una italiana no las como mucho. Eso tiene que cambiar y cambiará con esta receta. Walnut rsto recipe, here I go! Jejeje.

    Reply

  14. 5 stars
    Ahora que estoy tratando de comer más sanito y tú pones este wanlnut pesto recipe! Que receta de una pasta más rica!! La voy a tener presente para cuando me quiera salir de la dieta…

    Reply

  16. 5 stars
    Enri que delicioso tu plato italiano. Ya en una oportunidad probé la pasta con noci pero usaban crema de leche. Me gusta más tu versión con leche evaporada.

    Reply

  18. 5 stars
    This looks like scrumptious and delicious dish. I will definitely going to try this for sure. Thanks for sharing the recipe

    Reply

  20. 5 stars
    Ay!!! Se me hizo agua la boca!!!!! O sea, esta receta está deliciosa!! Y con el mood italiano que yo tengo seguro la voy a preparar!!! Salsa di Noci!! Qué delicia!!!!

    Reply

  22. 5 stars
    Adoro la pasta, suelo comer dos veces a la semana sé que es mucho pero la preparé muchas versiones esta no la he probado así que la voy a hacer y te contaré qué tal me fue

    Reply

  26. 5 stars
    I first had salsa di noci in Italy, I bought it from the fresh market in La Spezia. It was such a taste revelation! Back then it was very rare to find, now it’s easier, but only in Italy. I always bring back jars of it from my trips there. So thanks for this recipe, now I can make it at home.

    Reply
4.98 from 35 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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Soy Enriqueta Lemoine

I am a writer who cooks or a cook who writes: the order of the qualities does not alter the product. Since 2010 I made SAVOIR FAIRE the place where my two passions converge and now I develop recipes professionally and work as a strategist and creator of digital content, including the production of cooking videos. Read more about Enri.

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