Pasta with Ricotta, Lemon and Spinach

Name: Pasta with Ricotta, Lemon and Spinach Recipe
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Italian cuisine
Ingredients: Short pasta 200 g; Water for cooking the pasta 2 l; Salt for the pasta water 7 g per 1 l of water; Fresh ricotta 250 g; Spinach 1 bunch; Lemon to taste; Garlic 2-3 cloves; Butter 1 tbsp; Parmesan (grated) 2 tbsp (14 g); Salt to taste

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30 mins

This simple, tasty ricotta pasta cooks fast from easy-to-find ingredients. For a healthy addition we use spinach or, in season, wild garlic (ramsons). Out of season, frozen spinach works too. It is best to use a large short pasta whose surface holds the sauce well, or a tubular shape. The sauce has minimal spices, and to boost the flavor we use lemon zest and a little lemon juice.

10 ingredientsTo the recipe

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Ingredients

2 servings

Short pasta 200 g
Water for cooking the pasta 2 l
Salt for the pasta water 7 g per 1 l of water
Fresh ricotta 250 g
Spinach 1 bunch
Lemon to taste
Garlic 2-3 cloves
Butter 1 tbsp
Parmesan (grated) 2 tbsp
(14 g)
Salt to taste

Step-by-step recipe

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For all its simplicity, ricotta pasta is a filling dish with a delicate flavor. Fresh ricotta is sold in small tubs, usually 200-250 g, which is enough for a breakfast for two. You can use fresh spinach in bunches or the so-called baby spinach. Frozen spinach works too, and it is easy to buy. You can cook with olive oil, but butter is better.
Pasta takes 12-15 mins to boil, while the ricotta and spinach sauce takes only 6-7, so start by boiling the pasta and make the sauce 5 mins before the pasta is done. Melt a little butter in a frying pan. Peel the garlic cloves and flatten them with the flat of a knife. Fry the garlic in the butter for no more than 1 min.
Wash the spinach and shake off the water. With a sharp knife cut the leaves crosswise into very thin strips. Discard the coarse stems. Add the sliced spinach to the pan and fry with the garlic for another 1 min. Add a small ladle of water from the pot the pasta is boiling in. Cover and braise the spinach over medium heat for 2-3 mins.
Remove the garlic cloves and discard them. Open the tub of ricotta and put it in the pan with the greens. Add one more small ladle of liquid from the pot. Stir the ricotta and spinach thoroughly until the ricotta blends completely with the sauce into a smooth mass. Add a little salt to taste, but only a little, because the pasta water is already salted.
Grate 2 tsp of lemon zest (4 g) and add it to the ricotta sauce. Also add 1 tsp of lemon juice; you can add even more to taste, entirely up to you. Cook the sauce under a lid for a few minutes, until the pasta in the pot is al dente. Add a little grated Parmesan to the sauce and stir. The sauce is ready.
Drain the cooked pasta in a colander and transfer it to the pan with the sauce. Gently toss the pasta and sauce so the pasta is coated, and if it is a tubular shape, so some of the sauce gets inside.
Divide the finished dish among plates. If you like, sprinkle with Parmesan, zest or ricotta flakes. Serve hot. The simplicity of this pasta makes it a good breakfast, as it does not take much time. If you like, use other greens with a neutral or mild flavor.