Ingredients
- 12 oz rigatoni (or paccheri)
- Kosher salt, for the pasta water
- 1 cup shelled roasted pistachios, plus ¼ cup crushed for serving
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- ¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg (optional)
Instructions
- Boil the pasta. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a rolling boil. Cook the rigatoni until 1 minute shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water, then drain.
- Blend the pistachios. While the pasta cooks, blend 1 cup of pistachios with ½ cup of the hot pasta water until completely smooth and creamy — this is the heart of the sauce.
- Build the cream sauce. In a large skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Stir in the heavy cream, pistachio purée, Parmesan, lemon zest, black pepper, and nutmeg. Simmer 2 minutes until silky and slightly thickened.
- Toss it all together. Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss for 1–2 minutes, loosening with splashes of reserved pasta water until every piece is glossy and beautifully coated.
- Serve immediately. Divide among warm bowls and finish with crushed pistachios and extra Parmesan. Don't wait — cream sauces are best the second they leave the pan.
💡 Pistachio pasta tips
Use roasted, salted pistachios for the deepest flavor — just ease back on the pasta-water salt. The sauce thickens as it sits, so keep that reserved pasta water handy to loosen leftovers. For an even silkier sauce, blend the pistachios a full 2 minutes; any grit will disappear into the cream. Store shelled pistachios in the freezer to keep them fresh for months.
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