Lemon ricotta pasta is what you should be cooking if you need to bring a little sunshine to the table. This easy one pan pasta with creamy ricotta, white beans and penne is a 15 minute effort that gets everyone smiling and talking!
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Why should ricotta belong in sweets only? That was how this recipe happened. I had three tubs of ricotta sitting in my fridge. I made some sweets with one tub and got bored.
Eventually, I couldn’t help but think of a creamy lemony pasta with ricotta cheese. I have made this countless times since this summer. We all love it! There are hardly any leftovers.
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Ingredients
This pasta has two parts – one the sauce, obviously. The second- the pasta.
For making ricotta pasta sauce,
- you need 250 grams low fat ricotta
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- salt to taste
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3/4 cup pasta stock (the water you used to cook the pasta)
For the pasta, you will need
- Olive oil to saute everything
- Garlic and shallots sliced thinly
- 15 fresh sweet basil leaves
- 2 cups Penne pasta or pasta of your choice
- 1 can of white beans drained and washed
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- Salt to taste
What pasta shapes work best?
For this creamy sauce pasta, I recommend picking shapes that have a decent surface area. The sauce should coat the pasta evenly.
My recommendations are penne, Tagliatelle and Band Nudeln (in Germany). Large shells and mini Penne are also great.
Variations
- For a more flavorful pasta, use vegetable broth instead of water to cook the pasta.
- Switch white beans with canned chickpeas. You want beans that are white or beige in color and have a creamy texture.
- If you do not have fresh basil on hand, use dried basil. You need 3/4 tsp dried basil here. Other herbs that add so much depth and flavor to this pasta include rosemary and sage.
- This pasta is a bit bland for Indian palettes. This is the reason why we add red chili flakes. If you prefer to keep the heat down, you can also replace the chili flakes with coarsely ground black pepper.
Recipe Notes
- Cooking the pasta al dente is crucial. The pasta will cook further for a few minutes in the pan with the garlic etc. So if the pasta is overcooked even before tossing it with the sauce, the result will be mushy pasta.
- To make the whole pasta cooking process quick, I recommend that you boil water in an electric kettle before adding to the pan along with the pasta.
- Where I live, low fat ricotta cheese is easy to come by. If you cannot source this, please use just regular ricotta.
Shelf life, leftovers and reheating
- Leftover ricotta pasta keeps well for 2 days in the fridge. Store in a clean and air tight container after the pasta has cooled down.
- Before reheating, allow the pasta to come to room temperature.
- To reheat pasta, add the pasta along with 1/2 cup hot water to a sauce pan. Adjust the seasonings if needed.
- Heat gently and serve with toasted bread.
Serving Suggestions
Pair this fresh and vibrant pasta with a crunchy salad or just regular toasted bread to make it a wholesome meal. You can also serve it with some soup.
Method
Heat a pan with boiling hot water and salt. Stir to get all the salt mixed up. Add the pasta to the water, stir well and cook until al dente.
Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water. Drain the paste in a colander and set aside.
In a mixing bowl, place low fat ricotta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice and 1 cup Pasta water. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
To the same pan in which you cooked the pasta, add olive oil. When the fat shimmers, add chopped garlic and shallots. Mix well and continue to cook until the garlic begins to brown and the shallots are pink and soft.
At this stage, add basil leaves. Stir to combine. Immediately, tip in the rinsed white beans along with red chili flakes. Turn down the heat and stir a few times.
Now, add the drained pasta and the ricotta cheese sauce along with 3/4 cup pasta water. Mix gently, taking care not to the break the pasta.
Simmer on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve hot.
Creamy Lemon Pasta
Equipment
- 1 heavy bottomed 5 quart dutch oven or a similar pan
- 1 lemon zester
Ingredients
For the ricotta cheese pasta sauce
- 250 grams Ricotta cheese low fat is what I used
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 cup water (I have used water that I cooked pasta in)
For creamy lemon pasta
- 2 cups mini penne
- 6 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 3 garlic cloves sliced thinly
- 1/4 cup shallots peeled and sliced
- 15 Italian basil leaves
- 1 tsp red chili flakes
- 1 can white beans drained and rinsed (I used a 14 oz can here)
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
Instructions
- Heat a pan with boiling hot water and salt. Stir to get all the salt mixed up. Add the pasta to the water, stir well and cook until al dente.
- Reserve 2 cups of the pasta water. Drain the paste in a colander and set aside.
- In a mixing bowl, place low fat ricotta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice and 1 cup Pasta water. Whisk until smooth. Set aside.
- To the same pan in which you cooked the pasta, add olive oil. When the fat shimmers, add chopped garlic and shallots. Mix well and continue to cook until the garlic begins to brown and the shallots are pink and soft.
- At this stage, add basil leaves. Stir to combine. Immediately, tip in the rinsed white beans along with red chili flakes. Turn down the heat and stir a few times.
- Now, add the drained pasta and the ricotta cheese sauce along with 3/4 cup pasta water. Mix gently, taking care not to the break the pasta.
- Simmer on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Serve hot.
Video
For Instant Pot & Air Fryer Recipes
Instant Pot timings may vary based on your geographic location. Air fryer settings and timings may vary based on the capacity and the model of the Air fryer.
Disclaimer
Nutrition values are provided here as a courtesy and are only a rough guide. Please consult a health care provider if you have any concerns.
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