One-Pot Pasta With Ricotta and Lemon
Updated March 12, 2024
- Total Time
- 15 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1pound short, ribbed pasta, like gemelli or penne
- 1cup whole-milk ricotta (8 ounces)
- 1cup freshly grated Parmesan or pecorino (2 ounces), plus more for serving
- 1tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest plus ¼ cup lemon juice (from 1 to 2 lemons)
- Black pepper
- Red-pepper flakes, for serving
- ¼cup thinly sliced or torn basil leaves, for serving (optional)
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
565 calories; 11 grams fat; 6 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 90 grams carbohydrates; 4 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 24 grams protein; 443 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.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
- Step 2
In the same pot, make the sauce: Add the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper and stir until well combined.
- Step 3
Add ½ cup pasta water to the sauce and stir until smooth. Add the pasta and continue to stir vigorously until the noodles are well coated. Add more pasta water as needed for a smooth sauce.
- Step 4
Divide the pasta among bowls and top with some of the sauce that’s pooled at the bottom of the pot. Garnish with grated Parmesan, black pepper, red-pepper flakes and basil, if using.
Private Notes
Comments
Made this tonight for the second time, and made several important upgrades. Most important, I used my mini Cuisinart blender to whip the artisanal whole milk ricotta and Parmesan into a delicious, creamy spread, before tossing it in the pan with spinach, lemon zest, a bit of lemon juice and hot pepper flakes, along with about 1 cup of pasta water. The result was a wonderful, rich sauce -- unlike the first time I did it, when I didn't use the blender and the "sauce" was mostly lumps of ricotta.
I made this with the addition of arugula. So good! Just tossed in the arugula at the end for some green, peppery flavour.
I made this recipie as written, and had none of the texture / "curdled" problems reported by some. It was smooth and rich. I forwarded it to a friend, who made it "exactly", and did not like it after saying much of what others said: "bland", "curdled", "no taste"....I discovered that she inadvertently used low-fat riccotta instead of the full fat version called for. Do use the correct kind. I made again using goat milk riccotta - even more savory!
Yummy and easy! This tastes spring-y and would be really nice with some peas and mint, I will add those next time.
Ali, Been making this one of yours for quite a while now and have turned it into a one pot meal by adding some smoked salmon broken up into it after you build the sauce and toss the noodles back in. Tonight I had a big handful of cherry tomatoes left over so I also added them at the end and it gave it a nice pop of color and a bit of juice to brighten it as well.
Sometimes simple is great and that’s this recipe. A wonderful fresh spring pasta that you can make on short notice. I added a little diced roasted broccolini (that was left over from a prior dinner) for extra nutrition and color. You could easily toss in some protein such as cooked chicken or shrimp. When it says cook the pasta al dente, make sure it’s boiled to your preferred level of tenderness because it does not cook further in the sauce. I’ve made this pasta twice now and will make it again and again!