Lemon Ricotta Pasta

Our Lemon Ricotta Pasta is a must-try. It’s tossed with creamy ricotta cheese, fresh lemon zest and juice, fragrant herbs, garlic, and olive oil for a bright, fresh flavor. It’s light yet satisfying; this dish is perfect for a quick and easy meal as the weather warms up. The sauce can be served with your favorite pasta, and your family will love its creamy texture and vibrant lemon taste.

If you love this easy recipe for a quick pasta dinner, then don’t miss our Angel Hair Pasta with Lemon Sauce, and One Pot Pasta Recipe. Try these next!

Highlights & Recipe Tips:

• The EASE: This recipe is very easy; even if you’re not a cook, you can make this dish for your family and impress everyone.
• The PASTA: For cream sauces like our lemon ricotta pasta, we prefer short pastas like: mezzi rigatoni, shells, farfalle, and even penne. They work best with creamy sauces like this one, and our favorite classic vodka sauce 7 ingredients.
• The FLAVOR: The flavor is unique in that it is creamy, lemony, and fresh, with all three flavors melding into every bite. YUM!
• RICOTTA CHEESE: Keep in mind, ricotta cheese has no flavor! So you will need to season it with salt, pepper, and even crushed red pepper flakes in this recipe, and you can do it once all the ingredients are combined in the large, 12-inch deep skillet.
• PASTA WATER: The salty pasta water is needed in this recipe to soften the ricotta and help melt the parmesan, giving the pasta its lusciously creamy texture everyone loves.
• FRESH HERBS: Fresh herbs will always give this dish and many others their vibrant flavors and spring freshness.
• GRATED CHEESE: We used grated parmesan cheese with this dish, but you can mix both parmesan and pecorino cheese for additional cheesy flavor.
• The SKILLET: You will need a large, deep skillet, at least 12-inches, a large pot to boil the pasta, and two wooden spoons to help toss all the ingredients together in the skillet.

Ingredients You Will Need:

For our Lemon Ricotta Pasta recipe, you will need the following ingredients:

• Pasta: For this recipe, we used the short rigatoni, called Mezzi Rigatoni. The cream sauce will wrap each pasta nicely.
• Lemons: You will need 2 lemons for this recipe, using both the zest and the juice.
• Fresh Herbs: In Sicily, they love to mix both herbs – fresh mint with fresh basil, so I decided to do the same in this recipe. And, it worked out great.
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil: Always, the best olive oil will deliver the delicious flavor and richness this recipe deserves.
• Garlic: Some garlic cloves are sautéed to give the olive oil its aromatic flavor.
• Ricotta Cheese: We prefer whole-milk ricotta for this recipe.
• Parmesan Cheese: We only use fresh, grated Parmigiano-Reggiano because it melts beautifully into the cream sauce, adding a silkiness and flavor like no other cheese.
• Seasonings: You will need salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and some black pepper.
• Butter: This is optional; we love to add a little butter to enhance the sauce’s creaminess.

How to Make Lemon Ricotta Pasta?

Is this your first time making our lemon ricotta pasta recipe? No worries, it’s very straightforward. Plus, our full recipe card is at the bottom. But first, let’s go over the steps here so you can see what’s involved before you start.

1. First, gather all the ingredients and place them on the counter nearby. Then, zest 2 lemons and set them aside.

2. Fill a large pot with water, and place it over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons of salt to the water and allow it to come to a full boil.

3. In the meantime, grab a 12″ deep skillet (or larger) and place it on your stovetop over moderate heat. Add the 3 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of butter, and 4 sliced garlic cloves, and sauté the garlic for about 2 minutes, until golden. Then turn off the heat.

4. Next, add the ingredients: the ricotta cheese, fresh herbs, red pepper flakes, salt, black pepper, and lemon zest to the skillet.

5. Toss the mezzi rigatoni pasta in the boiling water and cook until the pasta is al dente, and slightly undercooked by 1 minute. When the pasta is ready, turn off the heat. NOTE: Instead of draining the pasta, we will bring it over to the skillet one scoop at a time.

6. Bring the pasta over to the skillet. Use a spider strainer skimmer ladle, or a large slotted spoon to bring the pasta over to the skillet. The pasta will also bring some of that salty water to the skillet. This will help make the sauce creamy.

7. Now toss all the together. With two wooden spoons, gently toss all the ingredients to blend in the skillet. If you need additional salty pasta water, you can add some to help loosen the ricotta, making it creamy and smooth.

8. Lastly, add the lemon juice and Parmesan cheese. Gently toss the pasta again. Then toss in the grated Parmesan cheese. Taste, and adjust for salt, to your liking. Then serve.

An Easy & Delicious Meal

This lemon ricotta pasta recipe is ideal for moms and dads who are looking for a simple – but also “practically effortless” meal to serve their families for a weeknight dinner. It’s very satisfying, creamy, and very comforting with a lemon flavor- it’s so good – it’s delicious!

Try this recipe, and tell us what you think!

Enjoy!

More Easy Pasta Recipes

• Pasta Cooked with Broccoli in 15 Minutes
• Pasta with Creamy Cauliflower Sauce
• Tuscan Creamy Chicken Pasta
• Spaghetti with Garlic and Oil (Aglio e Olio)

Have a Happy and Healthy Day!

xo anna and liz