Pesto & Walnut Panko Cavatappi
with Blistered Grape Tomatoes, Asparagus & Parmesan
- Milk
- Tree Nuts
- Wheat
For Mother’s Day, we whipped up a bright bowl of spring flavors ready to please any mom in your life (in just 20 minutes!). You’ll toss twisty cavatappi pasta with asparagus and blistered grape tomatoes in a spring-tastic creamy pesto sauce, then sprinkle with a crispy toasted walnut panko topping and Parmesan for an elevated touch.
Ingredients
2 tablespoon
Cream Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
4 ounce
Grape Tomatoes
6 ounce
Asparagus
½ ounce
Walnuts
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
6 ounce
Cavatappi Pasta
(Contains: Wheat)
¼ cup
Panko Breadcrumbs
(Contains: Wheat)
4 tablespoon
Pesto
(Contains: Milk)
3 tablespoon
Parmesan Cheese
(Contains: Milk)
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
2 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Wash and dry produce. • Place cream cheese packet in a small bowl of warm water to soften. • Halve grape tomatoes lengthwise. Trim and discard woody bottom ends from asparagus; cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces. Roughly chop walnuts.
• Once water is boiling, add cavatappi to pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until al dente, 9-11 minutes. Reserve ½ cup pasta cooking water (1 cup for 4 servings), then drain.
• While pasta cooks, melt 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4 servings) in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add walnuts and panko; cook, stirring, until golden brown, 3-5 minutes. TIP: Keep an eye on the panko; it browns quickly! • Turn off heat; transfer to a second small bowl. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. Wipe out pan.
• In same pan used for panko, heat a large drizzle of oil over medium-high heat. Add tomatoes and asparagus; season with salt and pepper. • Cook, stirring occasionally, until tomatoes begin to blister and asparagus is slightly tender, 2-3 minutes.
• Stir drained cavatappi, pesto, cream cheese, and ¼ cup reserved pasta cooking water (½ cup for 4 servings) into pan with veggies. • Cook, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens and everything is evenly coated, 1-2 minutes. TIP: If needed, stir in more reserved pasta cooking water a splash at a time until pasta is coated in a creamy sauce.
• Divide pasta between shallow bowls. Top with walnut panko and Parmesan. Serve.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Feb 2026- Flavor: Many enjoyed the pesto and walnut combo, though some found it bland and wanted more pesto sauce for better coverage.
- Ease of prep: Quick and simple to make, with minimal chopping required; most found it ready in about 20-30 minutes.
- Suggestions: Consider adding protein like chicken or shrimp; increase pesto and veggies; try adding garlic, lemon zest, or chili flakes.
- Leftovers: Several mentioned it reheated well, with some preferring it cold the next day.
- Texture: The crunchy walnut-panko topping was a hit, adding nice contrast to the pasta and vegetables.
Reviews from our home cooks
This was delicious! The panko walnut mixture gave a nice contrast in texture with the pasta and vegetables. The pesto cream cheese sauce was flavorful but not too rich. Loved this dish. The fact that it was quick and easy to make was a plus.
Delicious and flavorful. Loved the panko-walnut topping, fresh vegetables, and especially how everything came together quickly and with minimal equipment. We added shrimp for extra protein. Loved this recipe!
Quick and simple meal! Walnut toasted panko is a nice addition for texture.
Loved this! Very easy - minimal chopping! Panko/walnut topping was really good! A few more grape tomatoes would've been good!
Easy to make. The walnut panko topping added a lot of flavor. Just wish there was more pesto sauce - was hard to even taste it.
The pesto added some nice flavoring. We added our own shrimp and doubled the asparagus and grape tomatoes. Your cavatappi meals are easy to supplement with other ingredients, which is why they are favorites of ours.
I loved the flavors in this recipe (and cavatappi is always fun!). It would have been even better with double the veggies--there was a lot of pasta (enough for three big bowls), and the tomatoes and asparagus looked pretty sparse in the dish.
I love the extra little crunchiness the panko and walnuts provide. I'm not the biggest fan of asparagus so I was worried that it would just be hard bites of it. I just cooked the tomato and asparagus for a little longer than suggested and it turned out perfect for my preferences!
Great meal and enjoyed the veggie choices. The panko and walnut topping gave it the necessary crunch.
It was pretty good but could use more seasoning, and the cavatappi kind of requires more sauce because it's a pretty dense pasta. So it came out a bit dry.
