My lemon ricotta pasta is a delicious pasta dish that takes minutes to make and is bursting with fresh lemon flavor. This creamy lemon ricotta sauce is perfect for busy weeknight dinners or any night of the week. Wouldn’t this be the perfect meal for your next date night?
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My creamy lemon ricotta pasta recipe is made with just a handful of ingredients and minimal effort. While the pasta cooks, you can put together this creamy pasta sauce with a bright lemon flavor and have dinner on your table in less than 15 minutes. You’re whole family is going to love the delicious flavor of this no-cook sauce.
My zesty lemon ricotta pasta is an easy pasta recipe that is made in one pot. Not only is it an easy dinner to make, clean-up is a breeze!
If you love easy to make creamy pasta dishes, make sure to try my Cacio e Pepe recipe.
Ingredients to make Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Gather the ingredients to prepare our recipe. Culinary professionals call this the “Mise en Place,” which means “everything in its Place.”
Setting up your ingredients not only helps speed up the cooking process but also ensures you have all the necessary ingredients on hand to make the recipe.
Made with simple ingredients
- Whole milk ricotta cheese ( I have a friend who makes this dish using cottage cheese)
- Fresh baby spinach ( or fresh arugula)
- Grated romano cheese (or parmesan cheese)
- Fresh lemon juice
- Fresh lemon zest
- Fresh chopped garlic
- Table salt
- Black Pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Chopped Italian parsley
- Linguine (or pasta shape of your choice)
- Starchy water (from cooking the pasta)
Don’t be afraid to make adjustments to the ingredients in my lemon ricotta pasta recipe. You can add Italian seasoning, fresh basil or other fresh herbs to the ricotta mixture.
You can add other fresh vegetables like cherry tomatoes, cooked asparagus, broccoli, or zucchini. You can also add cooked chicken or shrimp to add more protein to the dish.
How to make Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions.
*Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before adding the spinach. You will add the starchy water to the ricotta sauce if needed.
- Add the ricotta, olive oil, romano cheese, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper to a large bowl.
- Mix until well combined. Taste and reseason as needed. Set aside until needed.
- With one minute left of the pasta cooking time, add the baby spinach to the pot with the pasta. Push the spinach down into the water and let it cook for one minute.
- Drain the pasta and spinach and return it to the pot you cooked the pasta in.
- Add the creamy ricotta mixture and two tablespoons of the reserved starchy pasta water to the pot over medium heat (heat just long enough to bring the dish back up to temperature).
- Stir the mixture well to evenly coat the pasta with the lemon ricotta pasta sauce. Add more starchy pasta water as needed. The sauce should have a smooth and creamy texture. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
Serve the lemon ricotta pasta with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, grated romano cheese, and lemon wedges.
For a little heat, add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. For a more lemony fresh flavor, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Save any leftover pasta refrigerated in an airtight container for 2-3 days. Reheat leftover pasta in a frying pan with a little water or splash of milk to keep the sauce creamy.
Recipe FAQ’s
I used linguine for my recipe, but you can use any pasta shape you prefer or have on hand. Spaghetti or fettuccine are popular choices, but short pasta shapes like penne or rigatoni work well too.
Yes, you can. Although ricotta cheese is preferred due to its creamy texture and mild flavor, you can use cottage cheese as a substitute. For best results, blend the cottage cheese in a food processor to achieve a smoother texture.
Fresh lemons are really what sets this dish apart from others because of the vibrant flavor fresh lemons provide. If you don’t have fresh lemons, you can use lemon juice from a bottle, but the taste will not be as bright.
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Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Ingredients
- ½ lb pasta
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
- 8 oz fresh baby spinach
- ½ cup romano cheese grated – or parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice from one lemon
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest zest from one lemon
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Italian parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt to taste
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- 2 lemon wedges for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, then add the pasta. Cook the pasta al dente according to package directions.*Reserve 1 cup of pasta water before adding the spinach. You will add the starchy water to the ricotta sauce if needed.
- Add the ricotta, olive oil, romano cheese, garlic, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper to a medium bowl.
- Mix until well combined. Taste and reseason as needed. Set aside until needed.
- With one minute left of the pasta cooking time, add the baby spinach to the pot with the pasta. Push the spinach down into the water and let it cook for one minute. Then drain the pasta and spinach and return it to the pot you cooked the pasta in.
- Add the ricotta sauce and two tablespoons of the starchy water to the pot over low heat. Stir well to evenly coat the pasta with the lemony ricotta sauce. Add more cooking water as needed, you want the sauce to have a smooth and creamy texture.
- Serve with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, grated romano cheese, and lemon wedges.For a little heat add a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. For a more lemony flavor, add a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
Lisa McKay says
I am so loving getting your recipes. I love cooking g. Experimenting and willing to try all recipes that interest me. Thanks for sharing
Chef Dennis Littley says
You’re very welcome. I hope you find lots of delicious recipes to try.
anit says
Love this as well as everyone of your recipes I have tried. We are not big lemon lovers, so I modified it slightly the 2nd time I made it. I cut the lemon in half and added chicken pieces. YUM!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the pasta and were able to adjust it to your taste preference. I hope you find more recipes on my website to try.
Sandhya Ramakrishnan says
These are so delicious and so quick to make for weeknight dinners! I have my fall spinach still going strong and I used some fresh harvested spinach in our pasta dinner last night.
Moop Brown says
Ricotta is one of my favorite cheeses however I haven’t had it a lot with pasta, after making your recipe I will definitley be using it more, it was delicious!
Erin says
This was just perfect! I love lemon and ricotta; don’t know why I hadn’t combined them together in pasta! I’ll definitely make this again soon.
Amy Liu Dong says
I love how easy this recipe is. I made this today and my family loves it!
Jamie says
This was such a great pasta dish! It was amazingly delicious and very enticing! An awesome idea too for using fresh lemon for the flavor! Plus we can never go wrong with pasta! Loved it!
Carrie Robinson says
I just love how simple & quick it was to make this creamy pasta dish! It paired perfectly with my grilled chicken breast:)
Kim says
This pasta was delicious! I love how the lemon and herbs balance with the cheese. So easy to make as a weeknight meal.
Lauren Michael Harris says
This pasta was so easy to make. I loved the combination of lemon and ricotta. Leftovers were great the next day too!
Kathryn says
This pasta is to easy to make. Love the ricotta and lemon flavors too. It made a delicious dinner!
Gloria Duggan says
We could eat pasta every night for dinner. I love ricotta cheese. Combining them together was such a delicious idea and everyone loved it. Just add a glass of wine and dinner is ready.