I love this fresh, easy one-pot pasta with ricotta and lemon. It makes a quick weeknight meal ready in only 20 minutes from preparation to serving. It uses a simple list of 6 ingredients and is a family favorite on busy nights.
This no-cook sauce is made with ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, garlic and lemon juice. Just combine the ingredients, mix it with the pasta you have in the pantry, and dinner is done!
Why This Recipe Works
- It's quick- only 20 minutes on a busy weeknight
- The blend of cheeses creates a smooth, creamy sauce when mixed with starchy reserved pasta water
- It's effortless.
- You can easily add vegetables or chicken to make suit your family's tastes
One-Pot Ricotta Lemon Pasta is one of our absolute favorite dinners for when we have limited food in the house or when I need to get dinner on the table fast, which is like, every night. It' is incredibly simple to make with a few pantry staples.
You can easily add green vegetables, like broccoli, spinach, peas or green beans, to the boiling pasta water to make it a heartier dinner too. Or add in shredded rotisserie chicken or precooked Italian chicken from the grocery store. I buy precooked chicken every week to have on hand for simple dinners like this. It's so convenient on busy nights or when I'm too tired to cook.
Ingredients
- Pasta noodles: I like this with fettuccine or linguini, but any shape pasta works.
- Ricotta cheese:
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh or roasted garlic cloves
- Lemon juice
- Salt and pepper
Ingredient Notes
- I recommend using whole milk ricotta cheese because it will taste a little more rich than part skim ricotta.
- You can use a fresh squeezed lemon or bottled lemon juice. I have used both and cannot notice that much of a difference. The lemon flavor is so subtle in this ricotta lemon pasta that you probably won't notice either.
- Parmesan: use grated rather than shredded. Grated Parmesan helps to create the creamy ricotta sauce that we are going for here, but shredded will not do this as much.
How To Make Creamy Lemon Ricotta Pasta
- In a large pot, boil salted water and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and set aside, reserving at least 1 cup of the water. The starchy water will help bind the ricotta sauce and keep it creamy.
- While the pasta cooks, mix the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and lemon juice in a bowl.
- After draining the pasta, add the olive oil and cook the minced garlic for about 1 minute over medium heat (skip if using roasted garlic). Turn off the heat, add in the ricotta and parmesan cheese mixture, and ½ cup of reserved pasta water. Whisk until smooth, adding more reserved water as needed.
- Add the cooked pasta back to the pot with the sauce and toss to thoroughly coat. Serve warm, topped with parsley.
Kristina's Tips
- This recipe is easiest when using roasted garlic, as you don't need to take the extra step of sautéing raw garlic.
- When leftovers are stored, the sauce will separate slightly. When reheating, mix in a little water so it will become creamier again.
How To Store Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Fridge: store in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
Reheating: warm in the microwave in 60 second increments, stirring between each, until heated through. When stored and reheated, some of the creamy texture will be lost, but if you add a small amount of warm water, you can make it creamier again.
Recipe
One-Pot Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Ingredients
- 12 oz fettuccine or other pasta shape
- 1 ½ cups ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 cloves minced garlic or roasted garlic
- 3 tablespoon fresh parsley chopped
Instructions
- In a large pot, boil salted water and cook the pasta according to the package instructions. Drain the pasta and set aside, reserving at least 1 cup of the water. The starchy water will help bind the ricotta sauce and keep it creamy.
- While the pasta cooks, mix the ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and lemon juice in a bowl.
- After draining the pasta, add the olive oil to the pot and cook the minced garlic for about 1 minute over medium heat (skip if using roasted garlic). Turn off the heat, add in the ricotta and parmesan cheese mixture, and ½ cup of reserved pasta water. Whisk until smooth, adding more reserved water as needed.
- Add the cooked pasta back to the pot with the sauce and toss to thoroughly coat. Serve warm, topped with parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Sharon says
Perfect quick weekday recipe. I added fresh peas to feel less guilty about eating a huge bowl of pasta and cheese!
Kristina says
I am glad you enjoyed it- thank you for the kind feedback!
Amber says
While it had great flavor, followed the directions to a T. The sauce separated and I was left with gritty sauce. Ended up having to throw it out.
Kristina says
Hey Amber! Sorry to hear you had to throw it away. Ricotta doesn't mix into liquid and such smoothly, like a shredded cheese will. The resulting texture with a ricotta sauce is more of creamy, chunky and "gritty". Since you thought the flavor was great, you could try grated parmesan. Or, blending the ricotta sauce before tossing it with the pasta will cut down on some of the chunkiness.
Karla says
Ricotta makes everything taste super good.
Laura says
It was ok. My ricotta split when I added the lemon juice. It was edible but it didn't really make anything resembling a sauce. Water at the bottom of the pot and clumps of cheese. Maybe the ricotta was too old? Not sure. Won't try this one again unfortunately.
Ksenia says
One pot pasta sounds like the dream dinner. My family would love it!!!!