Creamy Lemon Ricotta Pasta
A delicious, quick and easy meal or side dish made with minimal ingredients that you can have on the table in 20 minutes. One of my favourite back pocket pantry pastas, everyone looks forward to this fresh and creamy, lemony pasta!
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta I used bucatini
- Freshly squeezed juice and zest of 1 lemon
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1-1½ cups reserved pasta water
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Pinch kosher or fine sea salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine ricotta, olive oil, Parmesan, lemon juice and zest. Season with salt and pepper, stir in chili flakes and set aside.
- In a large pot or Dutch oven, cook pasta according to package instructions to al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta water, drain pasta and return to pot.
- Add ricotta mixture, parsley and reserved pasta water to pasta and toss. Taste and add more salt, pepper or chili flakes as desired.
- Transfer to serving bowls and top with more Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.
Notes
Cooking pasta: For best results try cooking the pasta for 1 minute less than package instructions. This will result in pasta that is firm but not hard – al dente – which for me is the ideal texture for this recipe.
Reserved pasta water: The starchiness of the reserved pasta water will help the sauce emulsify, generating a silky, creamy consistency that will bind to the pasta surface perfectly.
Lemon: I highly recommend using fresh lemon if you have it. This dish can be made with bottled lemon juice if needed, but the lemon zest really enhances the overall flavour in this dish taking it to a whole other level.
Leftovers: This dish is best served immediately. Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container for up to 5 days. To reheat simply add a touch of milk to restore creaminess and then warm in a pot on low heat until heated through.