Sicilian Pasta with Creamy Pistachio Sauce (2024)

One of the easiest pasta dishes you’ll ever make, this Sicilian pasta with creamy pistachio sauce is ready in the time it takes to cook your pasta! A simple yet decadent pasta recipe made with chopped pistachios in a cream sauce along with sautéed pancetta that’s creamy, crunchy, salty and oh so satisfying!

This easy pistachio pasta recipe, or pasta al pistacchio, is perfect for quick weeknight dinners yet elegant enough to serve to dinner guests. Made with just a handful of ingredients, it doesn’t get any easier than this!

Sicily is known for it’s production of pistachios, referred to as green gold due to their vibrant color, that grow at the base of Mt Etna in Bronte. Did you know that pistachios are harvested only every second year?

Sicilians add pistachios in so many dishes, both sweet and savory, such as pistachio and Nutella cake; veal involtini; pistachio pesto; and pistachio amaretti, to name just a few.

Why this recipe works

• It’s ready in the time that it takes to boil your pasta.
• All you need are 6 simple ingredients to prepare it.
• The pistachio cream sauce is a delicious combination of flavors and textures: salty pancetta; crunchy nutty pistachios and cream for a wonderful smooth texture.
• It’s so simple that it’s perfect for a quick weeknight meal yet fancy enough to serve to dinner guests.

Ingredient list

• Pasta of your choice: I prefer a medium length pasta such as elicoidali (as shown above), penne or rigatoni. The ridges and holes in the pasta are perfect for ‘catching’ the sauce.
• Pancetta: if you can’t find pancetta in your local grocery store bacon will do. Simply omit it for a vegetarian dish.
• Onion: finely diced
• Pistachios: chopped, unsalted pistachios
• Heavy cream (or 35% cooking cream)
• Lots of freshly grated Parmigiano or Pecorino Romano cheese for serving.

What type of pistachios work well for this recipe?

I purchased my pistachios already chopped, called granella di pistacchio, during my last trip to Sicily. However, you may use any variety of shelled, unsalted pistachios.

It is best to chop them by hand as a food processor will quickly turn your pistachios to dust! Try my mom’s easy method of placing the nuts on a clean dish towel, fold it over and crush them with meat mallet; rolling pin or even the end of a glass until you have the desired consistency.

The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed printable recipe card.

Step by Step Instructions

1. Toast the chopped pistachios in a dry pan until fragrant. Set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook pasta until very al dente, about 2 minutes less than the suggested cooking time. Reserve some of the cooking water before draining it.
3. Meanwhile, heat a skillet large enough to hold the pasta, on medium high heat. Add the cubed pancetta and cook, stirring, until it has rendered it’s fat and is crisp, about 5 minutes.
4. Transfer the pancetta to a bowl and add the diced onion to the pan.
5. Cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Stir in about 1/2 of the chopped pistachios and stir to coat.
6. Pour in the cooking cream and cook on medium heat for 1 minute.
7. Drain the pasta and add to the skillet. Stir in the reserved pancetta and toss to coat the pasta in the cream sauce. Add 2 tbsp. grated cheese to create a creamier consistency.
8. If the sauce is too thick, add a ladle or two of pasta water to thin it as needed.
9. Serve immediately garnished with the remaining chopped pistachios and extra grated cheese at the table.

PRO TIP: Reserve some of the pasta water and add as needed to thin the sauce.

Recipe Notes

Did you try this recipe?

Let me know how much you enjoyed it by rating it in the recipe card below!

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Check out more simple pasta recipes

• Pasta with Broccoli
• Pistachio Pesto Shrimp Pasta
• Sicilian Cucuzza with Pasta
• Sicilian Pasta with Anchovies and Breadcrumbs
• Pasta with Ricotta
• Creamy Chickpeas with Pasta
• Pasta with Tuna and Peas in Cream Sauce
• Pasta with Potatoes
• Pasta with Zucchini and Mushrooms
• Pasta with Chickpeas in Tomato Sauce
• Pasta with Peas and Potatoes
• Pasta with Potatoes in Tomato Sauce