One-Pot Pasta With Ricotta and Lemon Recipe (2024)

Made this tonight for the second time, and made several important upgrades. Most important, I used my mini Cuisinart blender to whip the artisanal whole milk ricotta and Parmesan into a delicious, creamy spread, before tossing it in the pan with spinach, lemon zest, a bit of lemon juice and hot pepper flakes, along with about 1 cup of pasta water. The result was a wonderful, rich sauce -- unlike the first time I did it, when I didn't use the blender and the "sauce" was mostly lumps of ricotta.

I made this with the addition of arugula. So good! Just tossed in the arugula at the end for some green, peppery flavour.

Made this last night as I used up cream and made ricotta. So silky smooth and so easy. Did not use Parmesan. Did use fresh basil. Also tossed in some roasted coins of summer squash and zucchini. Rave reviews all around.

I made this recipie as written, and had none of the texture / "curdled" problems reported by some. It was smooth and rich. I forwarded it to a friend, who made it "exactly", and did not like it after saying much of what others said: "bland", "curdled", "no taste"....I discovered that she inadvertently used low-fat riccotta instead of the full fat version called for. Do use the correct kind. I made again using goat milk riccotta - even more savory!

Yes, the peas are delicious here, and to make the sauce silky smooth, add a tablespoon (or more) of unsalted butter . . . luscious.

Once again, hardly a 15-minute prep time--unless you have a sous chef, which most of us don't, I'd venture to guess. Would be nice to have more accurate prep times with NYT recipes, which are often quite good, just totally unrealistic in that regard.

Be sure to use a very good quality "whole milk" ricotta. It makes a huge difference. There are many supermarket brands out there with very grainy textures that will disappoint. Not having access to a quality, fresh ricotta, I make my own with Melissa Clark's excellent, quick and easy recipe that always comes out perfect.

Great starting point recipe, and made it a few times now. Favorite additions: 1. 2 tbsp of leftover homemade pesto stirred into the ricotta;2. Sprinkle toasted panko or lightly toasted pine nuts on at the end; and/or3. Preheat oven to 425/400 convection. Take 2 broccoli crowns, chop into florets; toss them in a light drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle S&P, garlic powder or garlic. Roast on sheet pan for 10-12 min or until done (while pasta boils) with some tasty brown bits. Toss into pasta.

Great! I added Asparagus and found I didn’t need a full cup of pasta water. Generally needed more lemon zest in there to cut through the heaviness of the ricotta and Parmesan but that could be a personal preference.

I whipped Trader Joe’s ricotta with a little olive oil, salt and lemon zest before making the sauce. The sauce ended up very smooth and luscious.

Delicious. We make a variation of this often with peas and sausage but the addition of the lemon is really nice as well as the way to get a smooth sauce. Will be making again.

I made this last night to use up some homemade ricotta and it was a hit - plus easy!When I added the reserved cooking liquid to the sauce I was worried I'd thinned it out too much, but it thickened as it cooled and turned into the perfect consistency.I used the zest from two lemons and the juice of one, the pasta has a lovely bright lemon flavor. Didn't have basil so I took someone else's suggestion and tossed in arugula from the garden: delicious!

This was so great and so easy! I stirred in some arugula and topped it with sliced, grilled Italian sausage.

Very good for a quick, tasty dinner. I would suggest if you know in advance that you are going to fix this, do yourself a favor and fix Melissa Clark's recipe for homemade ricotta. Maybe 30 minutes max for the ricotta and would add immeasurably to the flavor here.

Subbing in a half-cup of the Costco fresh pesto for half of the cheese and the basil is a great shortcut. You also don't need to add extra salt.

Total winner; easy to prepare; added baby peas; made half of this recipe and there were tons of leftovers (which I don't mind at all). Husband gave his stamp of approval as well.

I followed the recipe (which I cut in half -- 2 people) except that Elena's suggestion of blending the parmesan and ricotta cheeses to make a creamier sauce. It plated well, and was a nice consistency. I was disappointed though because it was very bland to my taste. I think it might be better with sharp cheddar instead of parm.It was fast, easy, and filling. Probably won't make it again.

My sauce also curdled. I used high-quality whole milk ricotta, which was a bummer to waste. If it needs to be room temperature, the recipe ought to specify that. I tried whisking vigorously and adding pasta water gradually, but neither helped. Had to throw out the sauce. I love the concept of this recipe but seems like it needs retesting.

Unexpectedly this is a technically difficult recipe to successfully pull off - the first time - and it is mostly due to timing of the cheese addition and the propensity of Parmesan cheese to clump when heated too long. If you over heat the mixture the Parmesan cheese will clump and if you add too much of the pasta water you end up with runny clumpy sauce rather than a velvety sauce. Ricotta starts off grainy too. Test this recipe first before making it for an important guest.

This is a bit bland. I liked it, but something is missing. Not sure what. Something punchy, like olives or sausage. I did as one person suggested of blending the ricotta and parm in a food processor. My ricotta was a little dry, so I also added the lemon juice. I definitely did not use even half a cup of the pasta water, more like 1/4c.

This was very easy to make. I added frozen peas to the boiling pasta at the end, and tossed in some cooked shrimp before serving. Didn't have basil, so I used parsley and thyme to herb it up. Very delicate flavors. Would probably use a little more lemon zest and herbs next time.

Absolutely delicious as written, with infinite ways to be creative. We did make the sauce in a blender to insure a creamy consistency.

To save on prep time, get grated parmesan without added starch from your cheese counter. With a good microplane and citrus reamer, you can turn this dish out in half an hour or less. I did use the basil and red pepper flakes. So delish I had to force myself not to finish everything my husband and daughter didn't eat. This would be great alongside some oven baked salmon.

This was really not very good. Too bland.

Tastes and feels like glue

I made this for the first time tonight and did so as written. No graininess issues with the sauce. 1 T lemon zest and juice of 1 lemon (just under 1/4cup) were perfect. Was declared ‘delicious’ by all. Perfect with a nice side salad.

A lovely recipe! You might consider topping this with a ribeye steak cooked rare. If you are struggling to get one you can use a roasted quail instead or a baked turnip if you’re a veggie

Meh. Okay. Pretty bland. But I’m obviously in the minority.

Followed Elena's recommendation and whirled the ricotta and parm in my small Ninja for that super creamy texture. I added some baby spinach, and cooked the sauce with the pasta for a few minutes to get the pasta good and sticky/coated with the sauce. This was a delightful meal - very well received.

This is fine but it is kind of one note. Sauteed onion and garlic would take it to the next level. I added peas and basil too. Great weeknight recipe though. Quick and easy.