Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Whipped ricotta, lemon zest, basil and cracked pepper.
Maui's an app that plans a whole week of dinners like this one. See how it works ↓
Tempering with hot pasta water is the whole trick - cold ricotta dumped onto hot pasta clumps into chalky bits. Whisk pasta water INTO the ricotta first to warm and loosen it, THEN add the pasta. You're aiming for sauce, not cottage cheese on noodles.
Ingredients
Everything below makes 4 servings.
- 1 lbspaghetti
- 1½ cupswhole-milk ricotta
- ½ cupparmigiano-reggianofreshly grated
- 2lemonzested and juiced
- 3 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
- 1garlic clovegrated on microplane
- ⅓ cupfresh basiltorn
- 1 tspkosher salt
- ½ tspblack pepper
In the app these rescale to however many people you're feeding.
Nutrition
Per serving, as written.
- 690calories
- 26gprotein
- 86gcarbs
- 26gfat
Swaps move these numbers. A different protein or base changes them.
Instructions
Knife work first, then the stove. Nothing below asks you to chop while something burns.
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil for the pasta.
- Zest both lemons (separate small bowl); juice them (separate small bowl) - keep zest and juice apart.
- Grate the parmigiano; grate the garlic on a microplane (tiny clove).
- Tear a small handful of basil.
Whip ricotta base
In the large bowl, whisk the ricotta and parmigiano and extra-virgin olive oil and grated garlic and lemon zest and half the lemon juice and salt and black pepper until smooth and fluffy. This is your no-cook sauce - taste it; it should be bright, creamy, and a touch lemony.
2 min · hands onBoil pasta
Drop spaghetti into the boiling water and cook 1 min less than package. Reserve 1.5 cups pasta water before draining - you'll need more than usual.
9 min · hands onTemper sauce
Whisk 1/2 cup hot pasta water into the ricotta base gradually - it should turn into a loose, glossy cream. Don't skip this step; cold ricotta and hot pasta seizes instead of saucing.
1 min · hands onMarry
Add drained spaghetti to the bowl and toss with tongs 60 sec to coat every strand. Add the rest of the lemon juice and more pasta water by the splash if it looks tight - you want a glossy, clingy sauce.
1 min · hands onFinish
Toss in half the basil. Plate, top with remaining basil, a final drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, and a heavy crack of black pepper.
1 min · hands onMake it yours
Every swap here is one Maui already knows how to make, including what it does to the timing.
Sear 1 lb cubed chicken thigh 6 min in a separate skillet, fold in at the end. Adds about 10 minutes.
Sear 1 lb shrimp 90 sec/side, fold in at the end. Adds about 5 minutes.
Toss 1 cup frozen peas into the pasta water in the last 60 sec. Adds about 2 minutes.
Dress arugula with lemon and olive oil. Adds about 5 minutes.
What keeps
Eat immediately. Ricotta sauce thickens and turns chalky on reheat.
The whipped ricotta base can be made 1 day ahead and stored covered in the fridge.
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