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This is the archived version of the Milk Street website and is no longer up to date.

Please visit 177milkstreet.com to see the current website with all of the latest recipes!

Pasta with Radicchio, Walnuts and Black Pepper

4 Servings

40 minutes

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The simplicity of this pasta dish belies its deliciousness and elegance. Radicchio, a member of the chicory family, is much loved in Venice, Italy, where home cook Francesco Bernardi taught us his recipe. Chopped radicchio is browned in garlic-infused olive oil, its flavor becoming rich and complex and its texture softening slightly. The layers of pleasantly bitter notes—from the radicchio and the toasted walnuts—are perfectly balanced by the nuttiness and umami of Parmesan, the bright tang of lemon juice and the pungency of black pepper.

4

Servings

Tip

Don’t begin cooking the radicchio until after the pasta has been drained because the radicchio takes only a couple of minutes in the skillet. If it waits in the pan for the pasta to finish, the radicchio will lose its texture. Also, don’t stir the radicchio too often during browning so it caramelizes nicely, creating compounds that build depth of flavor.

40 minutes

Ingredients

  • ⅓

    cup walnuts

  • 12

    ounces penne rigate

Directions

Reviews
Mark K.
June 25, 2025
Loved the recipe, making it again tonight
No notes
Christine S.
April 12, 2025
Love this recipe but radicchio clumps?
Hi! Made this last night. It really was delicious but I have a question - when I added the parmesan to the radicchio it clumped. Even after adding the pasta it stayed that way. Loved the taste but would have liked the radicchio to be more evenly disbursed. Any thoughts?
Jennifer B.
April 3, 2023
Great pasta
Great combination of flavors and textures. I used red cabbage instead of radicchio and it was still excellent.
Julie B.
February 4, 2023
pasta with radicchio and walnuts
We loved the flavors in this dish, and despite the clumping of the radicchio, would do this again. Wondering if there is a way to make it less clumpy.
Lisa P.
October 28, 2025
Just so bitter - maybe it's just my taste
I really hated how bitter the radicchio tastes in this dish. It's exactly like the pith of a grapefruit. I didn't even add the lemon and had to add sugar and cream to even make it edible. But the rest of my family loved it. Maybe my taste is too classless haha!
Kenneth F.

This was very good and very quick. Next time we'll add a little bacon (because bacon!) but this would be a great dish for our vegetarian/vegan friends.

maureen s.

Very good taste to this dish. I cut the recipe in half and used the measured (mistake) radicchio rather than weighing it and it was clearly not enough of it. I would make this again.


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