Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Lemon Ricotta Pasta is ready in 20 minutes and bursting with fresh flavors from lemon juice, fresh herbs, and a kick of heat from red pepper flakes. It is the best summer pasta recipe—creamy but light and so easy to make.
Today’s recipe started as a mindless Facebook scroll during which I happened to notice a recipe from the New York Times for ricotta pasta with lemon. I clicked through, was wowed by its simplicity, and proceeded to make it. The verdict? It’s the best kind of summer dinner – quick, easy, and loaded with fresh flavors.
Of course, I tweaked it a bit and ended up with what we have here: a 20-minute pasta recipe that’s creamy and satisfying but somehow light. While the pasta cooks, you can mix up the sauce ingredients and then mix them with the hot pasta in the same pot you boiled it in. So, that’s just a long-winded way of saying this is a one-pot recipe (!).
The lemon ricotta sauce combines two kinds of cheese, lemon juice, spices, and parsley. The heat from the pasta melts it all into a creamy, cheesy sauce. It’s so simple.
Ingredients
- Pasta: Long pasta shapes like spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine are great but short pasta shapes like penne, bow ties, fusilli, orecchiette, or cavatappi work well, too.
- Ricotta cheese: Now’s not the time for low-fat cheese. Use whole-milk ricotta for the best creamy sauce.
- Shredded Parmesan cheese: This recipe will work best with freshly shredded Parmesan cheese.
- Lemon juice: If you want a punchier lemon flavor, you can also add some lemon zest.
- Chopped parsley or fresh basil
- Salt and pepper
- Red pepper flakes: Optional if you like a kick of heat.
It’s a great recipe to experiment with—you can swap out the Parm for another kind of hard Italian cheese, switch up the herbs, or add more pantry seasonings. You can also add some cooked chicken to make it even more filling.
How to Make It
☑️ Cook the Pasta
Boil the pasta in a large pot following the package instructions.
☑️ Make the Ricotta Sauce
While the pasta cooks, combine the rest of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
☑️ Combine
Before you drain the pasta, scoop ¼ cups of the pasta water from the pot and set it aside. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot you cooked it in. Don’t put the pot back on the hot burner; set it on a cool one.
Add the ricotta mixture and then toss and stir the pasta to coat it in the cheese. Add the reserved pasta water and keep tossing/stirring until the spaghetti is evenly coated and the sauce is creamy.
This is the sort of cheesy pasta dish that is best served right away. The sauce will tighten up as it cools. The leftovers are okay, but it’s best when it’s made.
Recipe Variations
As mentioned, the ricotta in this dish is like a blank canvas. Starting with it, you can add other flavors to take this recipe in a whole new direction.
- Herbs: Parsley and basil work great, but fresh chives would be fantastic, too. You could also use dried herbs, but dial the amount back a bit because they are usually more potent.
- Cheese: Ricotta is a must, but try using shredded Asiago, Romano, or another hard-style cheese instead of Parmesan.
- Veggies: Add halved cherry tomatoes, chopped fresh spinach, or arugula. The heat from the pasta will warm them up, but they’ll maintain their fresh flavor.
More Quick Pasta Recipes
Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Lemon Ricotta Pasta is a quick 20-minute pasta recipe! Creamy ricotta combined with Parmesan, herbs, and lemon makes a really delicious sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stove
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 10 ounces of spaghetti
- 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
- 2 ounces Parmesan cheese, shredded
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Boil the pasta following the package instructions.
- While the pasta cooks, combine the rest of the ingredients in a small mixing bowl.
- Scoop ¼ cup of the pasta water from the pot and set it aside. When the pasta is al dente, drain it and then return it back to the pot. Don’t place the pot back on the hot burner, set it on a cool one.
- Add the cheese mixture and then toss and stir the pasta to coat it in the cheese. The residual heat from the pot and pasta will melt the cheese creating a sauce. Add the reserved pasta water and keep tossing/stirring until the spaghetti is evenly coated and the sauce is creamy. Serve the pasta right away.
Notes
This ricotta pasta is best when it’s made. The sauce will tighten up as it cools and the leftovers won’t be as creamy. If you have leftovers, they’ll keep for a few days but you might want to add a splash of lemon juice to loosen the sauce when you reheat.
Nutrition
- Calories: 488
- Sugar: 2.6g
- Sodium: 480.1mg
- Fat: 17.1g
- Saturated Fat: 10.4g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5.6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 57.5g
- Fiber: 2.5g
- Protein: 25.3g
- Cholesterol: 57.6mg
The nutrition is an estimate only. It was calculated using Nutrifox, an online nutrition calculator.
Recipe adapted from The New York Times.
More Recipes with Ricotta Cheese
If you’re looking for a summery weeknight dinner idea, this lemon ricotta pasta should be on your list. It’s easy and the best recipe when you want something quick and delicious.
Happy easy cooking,
This dish was so easy to make. We made this after work for dinner and it probably takes even less than 20 minutes. And it’s so flavorful. I loved the way the lemon worked with the flavor of the cheese. I didn’t add spinach this time but will next. You could try an array of vegetables with this dish. I bet mushrooms and some pancetta would compliment this dish well. Either way this recipe is most definitely a keeper.
Not only good for the summer, but any time of year! Love it!