Lemon Ricotta Pasta is creamy, delicious and easy to make. Simple ingredients come together in under 30 minutes for an easy weeknight dinner.
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🌟Why You'll Love this Recipe
- Great for busy nights. Lemon ricotta pasta is the best for 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!
- Simple ingredients. The ingredients in this recipe are super simple, but full of flavor. It's a great pasta dish for adults and kids. It also makes a perfect dish to serve at a dinner party.
- Light and fresh. This creamy pasta is full of fresh ingredients and is the perfect comforting pasta dish for warmer weather.
🥘Ingredients and Substitutions
- Pasta- I love pappardelle with this sauce, but you can also use fettuccine, linguine or a shorter pasta like rigatoni. Essentially any shape of pasta should work with this sauce!
- Asparagus- you can omit the asparagus if you want or substitute another veggie, such as spinach or arugula.
- Lemon juice and lemon zest- you'll want 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice and 1 tablespoon of zest. Both will add some brightness to the pasta.
- 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. I prefer to grate my own at home.
See the recipe card below for the remaining ingredients and quantities.
🔪Instructions
- Begin by cooking 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 garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Season with salt, lemon zest and lemon juice.
- Stir in the ricotta cheese, black pepper and parmesan cheese. Pour in the reserved pasta water, about ¼ cup at a time if the sauce appears to thick and clumpy.
- Turn off the heat and mix the pasta with the ricotta sauce.
💭Recipe FAQs
Can you use any type of pasta for lemon ricotta pasta?
This sauce works best with a longer pasta such as bucatini or pappardelle. However, I personally also like it with a shorter pasta so use whatever you have on hand.
How do you store leftover lemon ricotta pasta?
I recommend storing leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave for about 2 minutes or in a skillet with some water for a few minutes until warm.
What are some side dishes that pair well with lemon ricotta pasta?
This pasta pairs well with many side dishes, including my Mediterranean Roasted Vegetables, Air Fryer Frozen Green Beans, Frozen Broccoli and Italian Tomato Salad.
👩🏻🍳Chef Tips
- 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.
- Don't forget to save some pasta water. The sauce may be slightly clumpy or too thick and the best way to thin it out is with reserved pasta water.
- Customize the pasta by adding cherry tomatoes or spinach in addition to or in place of the asparagus.
- Don't overcook the pasta. Make sure to cook your pasta al dente. The pasta will cook a little bit more when added to the sauce.
🥗Serving
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.
More Pasta Recipes
- Ground Turkey Spaghetti45 Minutes
- Easy No-Boil Pasta Bake45 Minutes
- Simple Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta20 Minutes
- Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta30 Minutes
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating & comment below to let me know how it came out. Thanks for visiting!
🍳Recipe
Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Lemon Ricotta Pasta is creamy, delicious and easy to make. Simple ingredients come together in under 30 minutes for an easy weeknight dinner.
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Servings: Servings
Calories: 391.18kcal
Equipment
- Garlic press
- Zester
- Citrus Squeezer
Ingredients
- 12-16 ounces 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.
- Add in the ricotta cheese, black pepper and parmesan cheese. Mix to combine. If the sauce seems too dry and clumpy, add in the reserved pasta water, about ¼ cup at a time until it is creamy.
- Turn off the heat and mix the pasta with the sauce. Serve hot with more fresh cracked black pepper and red pepper flakes, if desired.
Notes
- 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.
- Don't forget to save some pasta water. The sauce may be slightly clumpy or too thick and the best way to thin it out is with reserved pasta water.
- Customize the pasta by adding cherry tomatoes or spinach in addition to or in place of the asparagus.
- Don't overcook the pasta. Make sure to cook your pasta al dente. The pasta will cook a little bit more when added to the sauce.
- I recommend storing leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days in an airtight container. Reheat in the microwave for about 2 minutes or in a skillet with some water for a few minutes until warm.
Nutrition
Serving: 1Serving | Calories: 391.18kcal | Carbohydrates: 68.16g | Protein: 17.14g | Fat: 6.42g | Saturated Fat: 2.56g | Trans Fat: 0.05g | Cholesterol: 77.93mg | Sodium: 456.32mg | Potassium: 413.33mg | Fiber: 5.38g | Sugar: 4.15g | Vitamin A: 644.74IU | Vitamin C: 25.11mg | Calcium: 167.13mg | Iron: 3.26mg
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.
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Rate RecipeLet me know how this recipe turned out! Leave a comment
Trish Hart says
Made this Saturday night. Added some roasted cherry tomatoes, delicious!
Sarah Holt says
Yum, I'm making this recipe tomorrow. Might have to add tomatoes!
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!!