This One Pot Lemon Ricotta Pasta is the pasta of your dreams! It's made thick and creamy with fresh ricotta and parmesan and finished with cheesy, toasted breadcrumbs. Serve with Garlic Bread for the ultimate comfort food meal made in under an hour.
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📋 About the Recipe
- Made without heavy cream! Many cream based pasta sauces are made with heavy cream to make them rich tasting. This one pot pasta with lemon and ricotta is made with ricotta and parmesan to give it that rich creamy flavor without the need for any cream. If you have heavy cream or coconut milk to use, try my Pink Sauce Pasta.
- Gluten free friendly. In addition to using heavy cream, a lot of cream sauces also use a flour roux to thicken the sauce. By using ricotta, the pasta sauce will be naturally thick and creamy without having to go through the trouble of making a roux. This is not only quicker and easier, but makes the pasta sauce naturally gluten free.
- Hearty and delicious. The best part of pasta is how comforting and delicious it is. Pair this one pot pasta with a lighter side like a Fall Cobb Wedge Salad, Roasted Asparagus and Brussels Sprouts, or Jerusalem Salad (Israeli Salad)!
🛒 Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Pasta - Longer pastas pair perfectly with luxurious cream based sauces like this cheesy ricotta pasta sauce. If you're feeling ambitious, you could make parpardelle from scratch!
- Ricotta - Using whole milk ricotta will make for the richest, creamiest pasta sauce, similar to the feta in this chicken feta pasta.
- Parmesan - Freshly grated parmesan cheese is preferred over pre-grated powdered parmesan cheeses because it is creamier and melts easier into the pasta sauce.
- Spinach - I recommend using fresh baby spinach over frozen. Frozen spinach will release a lot of excess moisture and inevitably water down your cream sauce.
- Lemon - Only use fresh lemon juice and zest. And don’t be shy with the lemon zest! It makes a huge difference in adding that bright, zingy flavor we love in lemon dishes. If you’ve got extra lemons to use, try my Blackberry Lemon Bread and learn how to slice them in this lemon cutting tutorial.
📓 Instructions
- Make the breadcrumbs. In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, olive oil, lemon zest, garlic powder, parmesan, parsley, salt and pepper. Spread the breadcrumb mixture on a sheet pan and bake for 4 to 5 minutes at 325 degrees F, or until lightly toasty. Set aside and make the pasta.
- Cook the pasta. Boil the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve a ½ cup of pasta water before draining.
- Make the lemon ricotta mixture. While the pasta cooks, combine the ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper in a medium sized bowl.
- Cook the garlic and spinach. In the same pot that was used to cook the pasta, heat 2 tablespoons of oil until hot. Add the garlic and spinach and cook for about 1 minute, or until the spinach begins to wilt.
- Add in the ricotta mixture. Stir to combine and cook for another 1 minute or until the ricotta mixture begins to melt and becomes creamy.
- Mix the ricotta sauce with the pasta. Add the pasta back into the pot with the sauce, spinach and garlic and toss to coat. Slowly add the starchy pasta water until the ricotta sauce is at your desired consistency. It should be fairly smooth and creamy.
- Serve. Serve the one pot lemon ricotta pasta warm with a sprinkle of seasoned breadcrumbs over top for an added savory crunch.
⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
- Skip the breadcrumbs. Although delicious, the toasted breadcrumbs are really just a nice final touch. If you’re short on time, skip them and top with additional parmesan and fresh parsley instead.
- Add a protein! This pasta pairs well with my Cast Iron Chicken Breasts or simple grilled shrimp.
- Add vegetables. Broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms and zucchini would all pair nicely with the bright flavors in the lemon ricotta, but use your favorite vegetables.
- Alternative pastas. I prefer to use longer pastas like fettuccine linguine, or pappardelle pasta, but you can really use any pasta you have. You can also use a gluten free pasta, if preferred.
- Spinach substitutes: If you have baby kale or arugula, both can be substituted for the spinach. Arugula will give this pasta a nice, peppery bite to it!
❄️ How to Store
To store: Leftover pasta with lemon and ricotta will store well in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Store leftover breadcrumbs at room temperature in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days.
To freeze: Freezing lemon ricotta pasta is not recommended.
To reheat: After being refrigerated, the lemon ricotta pasta sauce will be less creamy and stick to the pasta. Loosen it up when reheating by adding a splash of milk before microwaving in a microwave safe bowl until warm.
🔍 FAQs
There is a lemon ricotta cheese at Trader Joe’s but I have personally not tried it or used it to make this one pot pasta with lemon and ricotta. For best results, use whole milk ricotta and make the lemon ricotta yourself.
No ricotta and cottage cheese are two different dairy products. Cottage cheese is made from milk curds and is typically lower in fat. Ricotta is made from leftover whey after milk is separated. For the best tasting thick and creamy lemon ricotta pasta sauce, I would not recommend substituting the ricotta for cottage cheese.
Al dente pasta should be firm, yet be easily pierced with a fork. Wait to add the pasta to the salted water until it is boiling, then cook according to package instructions minus 1 minute. You can always remove 1 strand of pasta from the water and taste it to determine if it’s cooked, too!
💭 One More Tip
Try leftover breadcrumbs on my Creamy Cheddar Baked Brisket Mac and Cheese!
🍴 Related Recipes
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
📖 Recipe
One Pot Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
For Lemon Ricotta Pasta
- 1 pound (16 ounces) fettuccine, linguine, or pappardelle pasta
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest (from about 1 lemon)
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1 lemon)
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus extra for pasta water
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 5 ounces fresh baby spinach
- 3 teaspoons minced garlic (about 3 garlic cloves)
For Toasted Breadcrumbs
- ½ cup plain breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest (from about ½ a lemon)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare the toasted breadcrumbs: Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. In a small bowl, combine all the breadcrumb ingredients. Stir until the breadcrumbs are evenly coated in the olive oil. Spread into an even layer on a sheet pan and place in the oven to lightly toast for about 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.
- Prepare the pasta: In a large pot, boil pasta in salted water 1 minute less than the package instructions. Before straining the pasta, reserve about ½ cup of pasta water.
- Make the ricotta sauce: While pasta is boiling, combine ricotta, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Taste and adjust seasonings as desired.
- Strain the pasta and leave it in the colander. In the same pot used to boil the pasta, add the olive oil and heat over medium heat. Add in the spinach and minced garlic. Cook for 1 minute, or until the spinach starts to wilt.
- Add ricotta sauce to the pot and give it a stir. Cook for about another minute, or until the sauce starts to melt and become creamy.
- Add pasta back into the pot with the sauce, spinach, and garlic. Toss to coat the noodles evenly. Slowly add pasta water to the sauce until you reach your desired consistency. It should be fairly smooth and creamy.
- Serve warm with a sprinkle of the seasoned breadcrumbs over top for added crunch.
Notes
- Using whole milk ricotta cheese ensures a rich and creamy sauce.
- Feel free to add your favorite vegetables or proteins on top, such as chicken breasts or shrimp, broccoli, bell peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini.
- The breadcrumbs are optional but they add a nice, garlicky crunch.
Nutrition
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Lauren Johnson
Excellent dish! This had SO much flavor and the breadcrumbs sprinkled on top were a perfect touch! Will be making this one again very soon!
Alana Lieberman
So happy you enjoyed it!