Quick & Creamy Ricotta Pesto Pasta
This Ricotta Pesto Pasta is a quick and flavorful dish that combines creamy ricotta with fresh basil pesto, creating a rich and vibrant sauce. Perfect for busy weeknights, it’s easy to customize with your favorite herbs, vegetables, and proteins, offering a versatile and satisfying meal. Garnish with parmesan and lemon zest for an extra burst of freshness.
Equipment
- 1 large pot for boiling water
- 1 Food processor for making pesto
- 1 Frying pan for combining pasta and sauce
- 1 Tongs or a spatula for mixing
Ingredients
- 12 oz. pasta any kind plus tsp. of salt
- 2 tbsp. fresh basil julienned
- ¼ cup pasta water reserved
- 2 tbsp. parmesan or pecorino cheese grated or shredded
- zest of 1 lemon
Homemade Ricotta Pesto Sauce
- 2 cups fresh basil leaves packed
- 1 cup fresh mixed herbs (arugula, parsley, mint, oregano, thyme, etc.)
- ½ cup ricotta
- 2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice or juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp. parmesan grated
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- Zest of 1 lemon
- ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp. salt
- ½ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Add 12oz. of pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.
- While the pasta is cooking, make the ricotta pesto. Combine the 2 cups of basil leaves, 1 cup of fresh herbs, 2garlic cloves, 2 tbs. lemon juice, 2 tbs. of grated parmesan cheese, ¼ cup pine nuts, ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil, ½tsp. of salt and pepper, ½ cup of ricotta, and the zest of one lemon in a food processor, and blend until smooth. Adjust the salt and pepper if needed.
- Drain the pasta, while reserving ¼ cup of pasta water for the sauce.
- Heat a frying pan or the pot you cooked the pasta in to medium-high heat. Pour in the entire batch of pesto into the pan with ¼ cup reserved pasta water, until you create a sauce.
- Add the pasta to the sauce. Using tongs, mix the pasta with the sauce until well coated.
- Serve, garnished with basil, parmesan cheese, and lemon zest.
Notes
Substitutions and Speed Tips
- Make it simpler and faster by using store-bought pesto, and mix ¾ cup of it with ½ cup ricotta, lemon zest, 2 tbs. lemon juice.
- If you’re making the ricotta pesto sauce and you’re crunched for time, put the entire basil plant (including stems) into the food processor, rather than separating the leaves from the stems. You may need to adjust the texture of the sauce by adding more oil to thin it out.
- Omit the mixed herbs, and replace them with an extra 1 cup of basil leaves if you’re on a budget.
- Don't have pine nuts or want to stay on a budget? Try this pesto without pine nuts recipe.
- If your pasta doesn’t come in a 12 oz. package, but rather a 1 lb. package, measure 12 oz of dry pasta on a food scale before cooking. Alternatively, if you don't have a food scale, you can separate roughly ¾ of the 1 lb. bunch of dry pasta to use for this recipe.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Quick & Creamy Ricotta Pesto Pasta
Serving Size
4 people
Amount per Serving
Calories
661
% Daily Value*
Fat
33
g
51
%
Saturated Fat
8
g
50
%
Polyunsaturated Fat
6
g
Monounsaturated Fat
17
g
Cholesterol
27
mg
9
%
Sodium
529
mg
23
%
Potassium
455
mg
13
%
Carbohydrates
70
g
23
%
Fiber
4
g
17
%
Sugar
3
g
3
%
Protein
22
g
44
%
Vitamin A
2552
IU
51
%
Vitamin C
27
mg
33
%
Calcium
298
mg
30
%
Iron
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Calories
661
Serving Size
4 people
Nutrition Facts
These values were taken from a nutrition calculator.
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