This Lemon Ricotta Pasta is creamy, delicious and done in under 30 minutes. Simple ingredients come together for an easy weeknight dinner.
Lemon ricotta pasta is the best for busy nights when you don't have time to prep a bunch of ingredients and need to get dinner on the table for your family fast! Aka almost every night 🙂.
The ingredients are super simple, but full of great and delicious flavors. It's a great pasta dish for adults and kids. It also makes a perfect dish to serve at a dinner party.
Ingredients
- Pappardelle pasta- the pappardelle is great with this sauce, but you can also use fettuccine or linguine.
- Butter
- Asparagus- you can omit the asparagus if you want or substitute another veggie, such as spinach.
- Garlic cloves
- Salt and black pepper
- Lemon juice and lemon zest- you'll want 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of zest.
- Ricotta cheese- whole milk ricotta is best here as it provides a richer taste and is creamier.
- Parmesan cheese- use grated parmesan over shredded as this will help with the creaminess of the sauce.
- Red pepper flakes
Instructions
Let's make this lemon ricotta pasta!
Begin by boiling water for pasta in a large pot. Cook the pasta to al dente, according to the directions on the package. Make sure you reserve some of the pasta water after cooking to use for the sauce.
Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook the asparagus for about 5 minutes.
Next, add in the minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Season the asparagus with salt, lemon zest and lemon juice.
When the pasta is done, add it to the skillet with the asparagus and add in the ricotta cheese, black pepper and parmesan cheese. Turn off the heat and toss the pasta with the cheese until it is well coated. If the sauce is too dry, add in the reserved pasta water and toss again until the sauce is creamy.
Serving and Storage
Serve the pasta hot and top with fresh cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes. It pairs great with a green salad and crusty bread. If you would like to add a protein to the meal, grilled shrimp or grilled chicken breasts will both pair great with this pasta.
The lemon ricotta pasta is best when served immediately after cooking. You can eat it the next day as leftovers, but just be aware that the sauce will not be as creamy after sitting in the fridge.
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Recipe
Simple Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 12-16 ounces pappardelle pasta
- 2-3 tablespoons butter
- 8 ounces asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 lemon, zested, about 1 tablespoon
- ½ lemon, juiced, about 1-2 tablespoons
- 2 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ⅓ cup Parmesan cheese
- ½-1 cup reserved pasta water
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions, until al dente. Make sure to reserve ½-1 cup of the pasta water after cooking.
- Heat butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat until melted. Add the cut asparagus and cook for about 5 minutes, tossing occasionally.
- Next, add minced garlic to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with ½ teaspoon salt, lemon zest and lemon juice.
- When the pasta is done, add it to the skillet with the asparagus and add in the ricotta cheese, black pepper and parmesan cheese. Turn off the heat and toss the pasta with the cheese until well coated. If the sauce seems too dry and clumpy, add in the reserved pasta water, about ¼ cup at a time until it is creamy.
- Serve hot with more fresh cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes, if desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary with brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
David says
Just made this again...really tasty...added a little more zest this time..delicious!
Sarah Holt says
So happy you love it David!!