There's nothing I love more than a one pot meal, and this one pot lemon ricotta pasta is no exception. The combination of creamy ricotta, lemon juice, zest, garlic, and herbs creates an amazingly creamy pasta dish. Plus, it's ready in just 15 minutes! So, if you’re looking for an easy and flavorful dinner, you have to try this one-pot lemon ricotta pasta.
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💭 Why you'll love this recipe
This creamy and lemony one pot pasta with ricotta is the perfect comfort food for any night of the week.
- Super easy, low-mess, convenient weeknight dinner. You just need a few simple ingredients, one pot, and 15 minutes to make this great meatless weeknight dinner. Can it get any better? I say no! And if you're looking for another great 15-minute pasta, check out this cacio e pepe recipe (no butter!)
- Easy to customize. You can easily customize it with your favorite add-ins, like roasted vegetables, mushrooms, other herbs, or more cheese!
- Perfect for leftovers. With its simplicity, you can easily incorporate it into your regular meal planning, so prepare a big batch and have it as leftovers during busy weeks or when you're short on time!
📋 Ingredients and notes
To make this mouthwatering lemon ricotta pasta, you'll need spaghetti or linguine (or any other long pasta), full-fat ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese or other hard cheese of your choice, fresh lemon zest and lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste, rocket leaves (i.e., arugula) and fresh or dry basil for garnish.
Notes and Variations
- Choice of greens and herbs. I opted for basil and arugula in this recipe, but spinach or kale would also work equally well. You can top with parsley if you don't want to use basil (or one of these basil substitutes).
- Pasta. I used linguine in this recipe, but you can make it with any long pasta (I've tried this recipe with pappardelle, tagliatelle, spaghetti, and fettuccine). If you don't have long pasta on hand, bowtie (farfalle) or penne also work.
- Variation in spices. I've kept the recipe simple, but you can totally customize this to your liking. If you want a bit of a kick, try adding sriracha, hot sauce or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes. If you want to amplify the Mediterranean flavors, add some oregano or Italian seasoning, or even a spoon of pesto.
- Add some crunch with vegetables like peas, broccoli, carrots or mushrooms to add texture and nutrition to your dish. Just make sure you cook them before you add them to the dish (I typically add them along with the sauce!) Or some toasted breadcrumbs or pine nuts along with the garnish.
- Make it vegan. This recipe is easy to make vegan, if you swap the ricotta cheese with vegan ricotta, and the parmesan cheese with a vegan hard cheese of your choice. Super simple and tastes just as delicious!
📖 How to make one pot lemon ricotta pasta
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Toss in your pasta and cook according to the package instructions until it reaches an al dente texture. Reserve the pasta's cooking water, then drain and reserve the pasta. Turn off the heat.
In the same pot, create the sauce by adding ricotta, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest, and juice, a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir until it's perfectly combined.
Add the reserved pasta water to the sauce and stir until it's a smooth and creamy sauce. Then, add the pasta and stir gently until fully coated. If needed, add more pasta water to create a smooth sauce.
Divide the pasta among bowls and top with some of the sauce from the bottom of the pot. Finally, garnish with the chopped basil and arugula (rocket) to add some freshness to the dish! Add a sprinkle of fresh black pepper if you wish.
👩🏽🍳 Top tips for the best lemon ricotta pasta!
Here are my top four tips to make the most flavorful, creamy and satisfying one pot meal!
- Use fresh ingredients. Fresh herbs, lemon juice and zest, and greens always help to make the flavors pop. This is especially true for the lemon juice - using frozen or bottled juice will not yield the best results.
- Choose a good quality, full fat, whole milk ricotta cheese. Using full fat or whole milk ricotta cheese is important because the fat content helps bind the sauce together, giving it a thick and creamy consistency and adds more richness!
- Cook the pasta correctly. Overcooked pasta can be quite mushy and spoil the texture of the dish, so follow the package instructions for cooking time closely. Al dente is the way to go!
- Use a food processor if in a hurry. If you really want the perfect creamy blend for the pasta sauce, and don't mind using up another appliance (aka, washing another bowl) - whip the ricotta and parmesan into a creamy spread using a food processor before tossing it in the pot to make the sauce.
👩🏽🍳 Troubleshooting FAQs
For this lemon ricotta pasta, it’s best to boil the pasta in water. The ricotta cheese provides enough creaminess and flavor to the dish without any additional liquid. Boiling pasta in milk would likely make this dish too creamy and heavy!
Unfortunately, leftovers for this dish do not reheat well and freezing them may result in a change of texture. So, it's best to prepare only what you intend on eating for optimal taste.
Yes, you can use other types of cheese such as mozzarella or Pecorino Romano for added flavor and creaminess in addition to ricotta cheese. Make sure you buy vegetarian versions of the cheese though!
🍴 Serving and storage suggestions
This lemon ricotta pasta will keep fresh for up to 3 or 4 days when stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To preserve its integrity, make sure it has cooled completely before transferring it into the container.
However, I find that reheating it in a microwave causes the sauce to break. So I highly recommend that you toss the pasta on a skillet with a splash of water until just warm if you're planning to store and reheat this dish.
Looking for other easy but delicious pasta recipes? Try out some of my favorite pasta recipes listed below!
Did you make this recipe?! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Please leave a comment and a star rating and let me know how it went! We love hearing from you, thank you so much
📖 Recipe
One Pot Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound linguine, substitute spaghetti
- 1 cup full fat ricotta
- 1 cup parmesan, vegetarian, grated - substitute with vegan hard cheese
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest, freshly grated
- ½ cup lemon juice, approximately 3 fresh lemons, juiced
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting pasta water
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup arugula leaves, packed
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
Instructions
- Bringing a pot of salted water to a boil. Toss in pasta and cook according to the package instructions until it reaches an al dente texture. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain and reserve the pasta.
- In the same pot, after turning off the heat, create the sauce by adding ricotta, Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and juice, a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir until it's perfectly combined. You can also use a food processor if you desire.
- Add ½ cup of pasta water to the sauce and stir until it's smooth. Then, add the pasta and stir gently until fully coated. If needed, add more pasta water to create a smooth sauce.
- Divide the pasta among bowls and top with some of the sauce from the bottom of the pot. Finally, garnish with the chopped basil and arugula to add some freshness to the dish.
Notes
- Use fresh lemon juice - using frozen or bottled juice will not yield the best results.
- Choose a good quality, full fat ricotta. Using full fat is important because the fat content helps bind the sauce together, giving it a thick and creamy consistency and adds more richness!
- Cook the pasta correctly. Overcooked pasta can be quite mushy and spoil the texture of the dish, so follow the package instructions for cooking time closely. Al dente is the way to go!
- Use a food processor if in a hurry. If you really want the perfect creamy blend for the pasta sauce, and don't mind using up another appliance (aka, washing another bowl) - whip the ricotta and parmesan into a creamy spread using a food processor before tossing it in the pot to make the sauce.
I was skeptical of this Lemon Ricotta Pasta at first—but I'm so glad I tried it! The flavors were balanced, with a hint of zesty lemon and creamy ricotta. It's so simple yet so satisfying.
So much yum! We served this alongside some grilled chicken it was delicious. I loved the pungent basil and arugula with the creamy ricotta. Great balance.
Super delicious. I love the addition of arugula, it was peppery and just what this pasta needed. My boyfriend and I will be making this one again.
We loved this recipe! I have now printed it and saved it for our dinners!!