Pasta with mortadella and pistachios and a Parmigiano-Reggiano cream
User Reviews
5
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Prep Time
15 mins
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Cook Time
30 mins
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Servings
4
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Calories
1269 kcal
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Course
Main Course
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Cuisine
Mediterranean, Italian
Pasta with mortadella and pistachios and a Parmigiano-Reggiano cream
Description
The recipe uses small tubular pasta like canneroni, penne, or farfalle, cooked al dente. Mortadella is cut into cubes and cooked with sliced shallots to develop savory depth. Pistachio kernels are blanched and peeled to remove their skins, then blended with olive oil into a rough pesto that gives a coarse, slightly oily nutty texture.
A cream sauce made from heavy cream or milk thickened with cornstarch, butter, salt, and nearly all of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese forms the creamy base. This cheese sauce melts until smooth and flavorful, providing a rich coating for the pasta. After combining the pistachio pesto with the pasta, the mortadella mixture is added and coated with the Parmigiano cream to finish.
This dish balances creamy and nutty textures with the savory pork flavor from mortadella. It works well as a main course for gatherings or a refined weeknight meal. Garnishing with reserved pistachio kernels adds visual contrast and extra crunch. The recipe allows for substitutions of pasta shapes, and milk can replace cream if thickened appropriately.
Ingredients
- 400 g pasta tubes 14oz) I used canneroni from Di Martino, small
- 200 g mortadella 7oz) cut into cubes, Bologna
- 2 shallot
- 100 g pistachio kernels (3.5oz) raw
- 6 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 150 g parmigiano reggiano (10.5oz) grated
- 200 ml heavy cream (7floz) You can also use milk and thicken it with sifted cornstarch
- 50 g butter (2oz)
- salt for pasta and to taste
- black pepper to taste, ground
Instructions
Prepare ingredients
- Cut the mortadella into small cubes, peel and slice the shallots.
- Blanch the pistachio kernels in boiling water for a few seconds, drain and peel them (rubbing them with a cloth will remove most of the peel) Keep a few kernels aside for decoration and put the rest in a blender with 4 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Pulse until you have a rough pesto.
Make the parmigiano cream
- Put the milk or heavy cream in a saucepan with a pinch of salt and the butter. Let the butter melt and bring the sauce to a boil, stir continuously. If using milk add a tablespoon of sifted corn starch and stir until it has dissolved. Add ⅔ of the grated Parmigiano cheese and continue stirring until the cheese has melted. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside covered.
Cook the sauce
- Cook the sliced shallots in a large non-stick pan or skillet for a few minutes with some extra virgin olive oil, then add the mortadella cubes and cook for about another 5 minutes. Add the pistachio pesto and mix well.
Finish the dish
- Put a saucepan of water on to cook for the pasta. Once the pasta water has started to boil add salt and bring to the boil again. Cook the pasta al dente according to the instructions on the packet. Then save a cupful of pasta cooking water and drain the pasta. Add it to the pan with the shallots, mortadella and pistachio. Add a little pasta cooking water and mix well. Add some grated parmigiano and mix again.
- Serve immediately sprinkled with some pistachio kernels and the Parmigiano cream spooned over the top.
Notes
- Small tube-shaped pasta such as penne, farfalle, or canneroni are recommended for best texture and sauce retention.
- Blanch pistachio kernels briefly, then rub with a cloth to remove their skins before blending for a smooth pesto.
- The cream sauce can be made with milk thickened by cornstarch as a lighter alternative to heavy cream.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 1269 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 1269kcal | 63% |
| Carbohydrates | 88g | 29% |
| Protein | 42g | 84% |
| Fat | 85g | 131% |
| Saturated Fat | 33g | 165% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 9g | 53% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 37g | 185% |
| Trans Fat | 0.4g | 20% |
| Cholesterol | 137mg | 46% |
| Sodium | 1328mg | 55% |
| Potassium | 688mg | 15% |
| Fiber | 6g | 24% |
| Sugar | 7g | 14% |
| Vitamin A | 1449IU | 29% |
| Vitamin C | 3mg | 3% |
| Calcium | 541mg | 54% |
| Iron | 4mg | 22% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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