One-Pot Pasta with Ricotta and Lemon

By Ali Slagle

One-Pot Pasta with Ricotta and Lemon
This elegant, bright pasta comes together in about the same amount of time it takes to boil noodles and heat up a jar of store-bought marinara.

The no-cook sauce in this One-Pot Pasta with Ricotta and Lemon is a fifty-fifty mix of ricotta and Parmesan, with the zest and juice of a lemon thrown in. That’s it. You could toss a handful of peas, cut-up asparagus or spinach leaves into the boiling water with the pasta during the last few minutes of cooking, or add arugula or watercress with the sauce in Step 3. It’s a weeknight and for-company keeper any way you stir it.

One-Pot Pasta with Ricotta and Lemon Recipe

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 pound short, ribbed pasta, such as gemelli or penne

I cup whole-milk ricotta (8 ounces)

I cup grated Parmesan or pecorino (4 ounces), plus more for garnish

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

¼ cup fresh lemon juice (from I to 2 lemons)

Red pepper flakes, for serving

¼ cup thinly sliced or torn fresh basil leaves, for serving (optional)

Method:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to package instructions. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.

In the same pot, make the sauce: Add the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice and ½ teaspoon each salt and black pepper and stir until well combined.

Add ½ cup of the cooking water to the sauce and stir until smooth. Add the pasta and continue to stir vigorously until the noodles are well coated. Add more cooking water as needed for a smooth sauce.

Divide the pasta among bowls and top each serving with some of the sauce that has pooled at the bottom of the pot. Garnish with Parmesan, black pepper, red pepper flakes and basil (if using) and serve immediately.

 

Easy Weeknight Dinners by New York Times Cooking, published by Penguin Random House (RRP $59.99 AUD/$65 NZD).

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