Creamy pasta featuring lemon, basil, and ricotta for a bright, flavorful meal ready in 25 minutes.
# What You’ll Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 12 oz dried pasta (spaghetti, linguine, or penne)
02 - Salt, for pasta water
→ Ricotta Mixture
03 - 1 cup whole-milk ricotta cheese
04 - Zest of 1 lemon
05 - 2 tbsp lemon juice
06 - 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
07 - 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
08 - 1 small garlic clove, finely minced
09 - 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
10 - 1/4 tsp fine sea salt
→ To Finish
11 - 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn or sliced
12 - Extra Parmesan cheese, for serving
13 - Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
14 - Lemon wedges (optional)
# How to Make It:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
02 - In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, Parmesan, olive oil, garlic, black pepper, and salt. Stir until smooth and creamy.
03 - Add hot drained pasta to the ricotta mixture. Toss thoroughly, adding reserved pasta water gradually until a silky sauce forms and coats the pasta evenly.
04 - Gently fold fresh basil leaves into the pasta mixture.
05 - Plate immediately, garnishing with extra Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil, additional black pepper, and lemon wedges if desired.
