When it comes to Italian cooking, you can put your trust in Nadia Fragnito to do it properly. Here, she harnesses the complexity of the mighty walnut to create a rich, melt-in-your-mouth ragu that hits the spot in a big way.
You will need
Serves 4
- 2 cups walnuts
- 1 1/2 slices of bread, broken into pieces, approximately 60g (Nadia uses day-old ciabatta)
- 1 tablespoon stock powder (Nadia uses plant-based beef-style stock)
- 1/2 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke
- Handful of fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 700g good quality tomato passata or diced canned tomatoes
- Few basil leaves (optional)
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 500g dried or fresh fettuccine or pappardelle pasta
To serve
- Extra basil leaves
- Vegan parmesan cheese (store bought, or make Nadia's easy homemade parmesan!)
Recipe: Nadia Fragnito
Directions
-
Step 1
Add the walnuts, bread, stock powder, garlic, liquid smoke and parsley into a food processor and process until it resembles a medium-fine crumb.
-
Step 2
Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frypan. Fry the walnut mince for a few minutes until it’s starting to brown. Stir through the tomato passata and basil, and simmer on low for 20 minutes, stirring often.
-
Step 3
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente.
-
Step 4
Before turning off the heat, check the ragu for seasonings, adding salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
-
Step 5
Stir the cooked pasta through the walnut ragu, adding a dash of reserved pasta cooking water if more liquid is needed for the sauce. Taste and season with salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
-
Step 6
Serve with a sprinkling of vegan parmesan cheese and a generous drizzle of olive oil.
Hot tip!
If you’d prefer a chunkier mince, your ragu will turn out a little crunchy in texture. To avoid this, you can soak walnuts overnight beforehand to soften.
Recipe: Nadia Fragnito
More comfort food recipes
Directions
10 mins to prep
-
Step 1
Add the walnuts, bread, stock powder, garlic, liquid smoke and parsley into a food processor and process until it resembles a medium-fine crumb.
-
Step 2
Heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frypan. Fry the walnut mince for a few minutes until it’s starting to brown. Stir through the tomato passata and basil, and simmer on low for 20 minutes, stirring often.
-
Step 3
Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water until al dente.
-
Step 4
Before turning off the heat, check the ragu for seasonings, adding salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
-
Step 5
Stir the cooked pasta through the walnut ragu, adding a dash of reserved pasta cooking water if more liquid is needed for the sauce. Taste and season with salt and cracked black pepper to taste.
-
Step 6
Serve with a sprinkling of vegan parmesan cheese and a generous drizzle of olive oil.
Hot tip!
If you’d prefer a chunkier mince, your ragu will turn out a little crunchy in texture. To avoid this, you can soak walnuts overnight beforehand to soften.
You will need
Serves 4
- 2 cups walnuts
- 1 1/2 slices of bread, broken into pieces, approximately 60g (Nadia uses day-old ciabatta)
- 1 tablespoon stock powder (Nadia uses plant-based beef-style stock)
- 1/2 garlic clove, crushed
- 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke
- Handful of fresh parsley
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 700g good quality tomato passata or diced canned tomatoes
- Few basil leaves (optional)
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 500g dried or fresh fettuccine or pappardelle pasta
To serve
- Extra basil leaves
- Vegan parmesan cheese (store bought, or make Nadia's easy homemade parmesan!)