Elena Davis is a true Italian cook with true Italian flair! Her website is one to bookmark come dinner time. You can check out all of her recipes at cucinabyelena.com.
This lemon ricotta pasta screams spring!
This quick and easy, 20-minute, lemon ricotta pasta is simple, fresh, and tastes like spring! The creamy ricotta and pop of lemon with a garnish of mint and basil leaves are delightful!
Elena Davis shares a few tips, including using lemon zest rather than juice, whole milk ricotta cheese, and tips on how to keep your asparagus fresh in the fridge. It’s the spring pasta dish dreams are made of!
Find more recipes from Elena on Instagram, @cucinabyelena, or at www.cucinabyelena.com.
Lemon Ricotta Pasta With Asparagus
Ingredients
- 2 cloves garlic, cut in quarters
- 1 pound asparagus (cut into pieces and stems removed)
- 1 pound campanelle or farfalle pasta (or other desired pasta)
- 1/2 cup (about 1 ounce) finely grated parmigiano (parmesan cheese)
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- Ground black pepper
- Zest of 1 lemon, plus more to taste
- 8 leaves of fresh mint and (torn with hands to prevent them from getting brown- metal knives are harsh on fresh leaves)
- 8 leaves of fresh basil (torn with hands to prevent them from getting brown)
- **If you using dried herbs use 1 tablespoon of each since herbs are more potent when dried
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- Salt for pasta water
Instructions
- Mix parmigiano cheese with zest of one lemon in a small bowl- set aside.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Add garlic to boiling water. Let boil 3 minutes. Add the cut asparagus to the boiling water and garlic. Add the pasta to the boiling water, garlic, and asparagus. Cook pasta according to package instructions- al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water before straining.
- Strain the pasta, garlic and asparagus.
- Quickly add them back to the empty pot with 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, grated parmigiano and lemon zest mixture, olive oil, salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook on high for one minute (not more!), tossing constantly. Add a splash more cooking water if pasta looks too dry.
- Turn heat off, dollop ricotta all over in large spoonfuls and, without stirring, tip pasta mixture into a wide serving bowl.
- Drizzle pasta with a small amount of olive oil, fresh ground black pepper, then squeeze lemon juice over the whole dish, sprinkle with mint and basil and finish with an extra sprinkling of parmigiano. Gently toss right before serving
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