One pot pasta with ricotta and lemon
Easy, fresh, and creamy one-pot pasta with ricotta and lemon ready in just 15 minutes. This ricotta and lemon pasta with parsley pesto is full of flavor and it is perfect for those lazy nights.
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 495kcal
Equipment
- 1 Large bowl
- 1 Balloon whisk
- 1 Large pan to cook the pasta
- 1 Grater
- 1 Vegetable Knife
- 1 Chopping board
Ingredients
Ricotta sauce
- 200 gr whole milk ricotta
- 1 garlic clove
- 6 gr fresh lemon juice
- 5 gr unwaxed lemon zest
- 11 gr Parmigiano Reggiano grated
- 8 gr Pecorino Romano grated
- ½ teaspoon Maldon salt
- 5 gr Italian flat parsley finely chopped
- 1 unwaxed lemon zest
- 50 gr water pasta
Pasta
- 300 gr spaghetti
- 1 long zest unwaxed lemon
Parsley pesto optional
- 15 gr Italian flat parsley leaves whased
- 40 gr olive oil extra virgin
- 7 gr pine nut
- 1 pinch Maldon salt
- ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
Instructions
Boil the water
- In a large pot add plenty of water, and the lemon zest, and bring to a boil on high heat. Once it is boiling add the salt and the pasta. Let cook it according to the package instructions or until it becomes al dente. Don't forget to reserve some pasta water to cream up the ricotta. Moreover, save an extra glass of water pasta to use in case you need to reheat the leftover the next day.
Mix the ricotta sauce
- Reduce the garlic to a paste using the heel of your hand by pressing the blade down on the clove to smash the garlic. Press and drag the garlic with the blade flat until you have a garlic paste. This way the garlic will bind better in the mixture and you will not find any unpleasant garlic bits in your month.
- In a large bowl, add and mix until combined the ricotta, lemon, salt, garlic paste, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, parsley, and the cheeses using a balloon whisk.
Parsley pesto
- In a blender add the parsley leaf, pine nuts, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt. Blend on high speed until is all combined and you have pesto texture.
Toss the pasta
- Once the pasta is cooked, add the water pasta to the bowl and give a good mix until it becomes creamy.
- Drain and pour the pasta over the ricotta mixture and combine until the pasta is fully coated.
Serve
- Serve immediately and garnish the lemon ricotta pasta with some grated Parmigiano Reggiano and some pesto parsley.
Notes
How to store the leftover?
Fridge- Store the leftover in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat the pasta into a medium frying pan on low heat and add little water pasta to cream up the dish.
Freeze- I don't recommend freezing this pasta dish, as it will ruin all the consistency of the dish.
Will ricotta melt in sauce?
Yes, of course. The pasta water will cream up the sauce thanks to the high percentage of starch that the pasta releases during cooking.
Can I serve the pasta without the pesto?
Yes, of course. You can definitely skip the pesto and serve just with the pasta with the ricotta sauce.
What does ricotta go with?
Ricotta has a delicate and sweet flavor; for this reason, it can go well with countless dishes such as this farfalle with ricotta and peas.
lemon ricotta pasta, one pot pasta with ricotta and lemon