Fettuccine With Brussels Sprouts, Lemon and Ricotta
- Total Time
- About 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
- ¾pound Brussels sprouts (about 16)
- 2tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- ½cup ricotta
- 1garlic clove, mashed with a pinch of salt in a mortar and pestle or put through a press
- 2teaspoons finely grated or chopped lemon zest (I use a microplane for this)
- 2tablespoons minced chives or parsley, or a combination
- 1ounce Parmesan, grated (¼ cup)
- 12ounces fettuccine
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
498 calories; 14 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 75 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 4 grams sugars; 20 grams protein; 514 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Begin heating water for pasta.
- Step 2
Trim bottoms of Brussels sprouts and quarter lengthwise or slice. Heat oil over high heat in a large, heavy skillet and add Brussels sprouts. Sear for about a minute without stirring, then turn the heat to medium-high, add salt and pepper to taste and stir or toss in the pan until tender and the edges are seared light brown, about 5 minutes. Some of the leaves will detach and get black, but don’t worry, you can discard them. Remove from heat and transfer to a bowl or plate.
- Step 3
When water comes to a boil, salt generously and add pasta. While pasta is cooking, mix together ricotta, garlic, lemon zest and chives (or parsley and chives) in a large bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Step 4
When pasta is cooked al dente (see timing instructions on package but check a minute before indicated time), remove ¼ cup of the pasta water. Mix 2 to 4 tablespoons with ricotta. It should have the consistency of cream. Add a little more water if it doesn’t. Drain the pasta and toss with Brussels sprouts, ricotta mixture and Parmesan. If pasta seems dry, toss with a little more of the cooking water or another tablespoon of olive oil. Serve at once.
- Advance preparation: There is not much advance work to do: it is pretty much a last minute dish.
Private Notes
Comments
Make sure you moisten the ricotta mixture with pasta water to make it creamy. I also sautéed the Brussels sprouts for much longer than recommended and added water periodically to help soften them. And for extra flavor, we added cooked thick bacon.
A quick weeknight recipe with lots of flavor. The recipe is done when the pasta is ready. I used broccoli cut into florets. The ricotta is a wonderful healthy alternative to heavy cream.
Use lots of pepper and more Parmesan for more flavor. I can imagine pancetta if you want to go carnivorous. A winner without.
Perfect coronavirus food. Brussels sprouts keep a long time, as do lemons. I made a few changes - and served with toasted panko. Instead of letting those leaves burn, I "petalled" the sprouts, i.e. removed the outer leaves. Then I cooked the quarters of the centers as directed, with a tiny splash of water at the end. Then added the brussels petals at the end. A quick saute keeps them bright green and crunchy and adds an extra element to the dish.
I found this to be very bland and couldn't really taste the Brussels sprouts. As with many pasta recipes, the ratio of vegetables to pasta is way too low for my taste. I typically double the veg or halve the pasta.
This was delicious. I slices the brussels sprouts to maximize the surface contact with the pan, doubked the garlic, used a combo of chives and parsley and served with egg tagliatelle. Needed more than 4T of water to loosen the sauce, and some salt. A very satisfying lunch!
Used gemelli pasta bc that's what we had, and dried parsley and a pinch of dill to move it out of the pantry along with some small white beans cooked earlier in the week. Sautéed garlic (3 cloves) with the sprouts. Generously used S&P with the sprouts. Was a great dish and way to use the ricotta and Brussel sprouts in our fridge.