In this post, you’ll learn how to make my creamy, quick and easy lemon ricotta pasta with spinach. It’s the perfect 20-minute weeknight meal!
Like most simple, everyday Italian pasta recipes, this ricotta pasta requires less than 10 ingredients and a super quick sauce (about 3 minutes or so, while the pasta cooks). Tender, fresh baby spinach adds color and texture, and citrusy lemon juice elevates the flavor.
Now, as dreamy as anything “ricotta” sounds, ricotta can get all weird and grainy when cooked. You know this if you’ve made baked ziti once or twice!
After numerous recipe tests, I’ve figured how to make creamy, ricotta sauce without the lumps. It’s not dry at all. Learn my technique for this recipe and beyond, and you’ll get a comforting pasta dinner in less than 20 minutes!
How To Make Ultra-Creamy, Non-Grainy Ricotta Sauce {My Recipe Tests}
I tested 3 different techniques for comparison:
- No Cook Ricotta Sauce: This is the most common technique. Ricotta is combined with hot pasta cooking water to create a loose, creamy sauce. It’s done in a bowl, not on the stove-top.
- Ricotta Sauce With Cream: This tip comes from Food25, by way of Alison Roman’s baked ziti. Heavy cream cooks briefly with ricotta on the stove-top. The mixture easily binds together, creating a creamy (not dry) ricotta sauce.
- Drained Ricotta Sauce: Ricotta is drained in a fine mesh strainer to expel some of the residual liquid in most store-bought brands. The drained ricotta is passed through a sieve to remove any lumps. Then it’s used in the “no cook” fashion mentioned in technique #1 above.
The Winner?
Ricotta sauce with CREAM! The rich, creamy taste and texture is what sold me. Briefly heating approximately 1/4 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of whole milk ricotta will get you an ultra-creamy, non-grainy ricotta sauce to coat 1/2 pound of penne pasta.
Recipe Tips:
- For mild garlic flavor, use 1 clove (not 2). Or omit the garlic completely. Sometimes garlic can overpower the gentle flavor of the ricotta, especially if it’s not very fresh.
- I’ve made this dish many times with and without lemon. Fresh lemon juice adds brightness and acidity to the recipe. However, omitting it makes for a more milky-sweet pasta dish. Both ways are good.
- Reheat with caution. The penne pasta will soak up the ricotta sauce as it cools down, making the texture thicker. To reheat, do so in a pan with a splash of water to loosen the texture.
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Ultra-Quick Lemon Ricotta Pasta With Spinach
- Prep Time: 2
- Cook Time: 15
- Total Time: 17 minutes
- Yield: Serves 2
- Category: Pasta Sauce
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This quick and easy lemon ricotta pasta recipe features less than 10 ingredients, and is ready in 15-20 minutes. It’s the perfect weeknight meal. Be sure to read my tips below for the ultimate pasta experience.
Notes & Tips:
-
- For mild garlic flavor, use 1 clove (not 2). Or omit the garlic completely. Sometimes garlic can overpower the gentle flavor of the ricotta, especially if it’s not very fresh.
-
- I’ve made this dish many times with (and without) lemon. Fresh lemon juice adds brightness and acidity to the recipe. However, omitting it makes for a more milky-sweet pasta dish. Both ways are good. See what you like best!
-
- Reheat with caution. The penne pasta will soak up the ricotta sauce as it cools down, making the texture thicker. To reheat, do so in a pan with a splash of water to loosen the consistency.
Ingredients
- 8 oz penne pasta
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1–2 garlic cloves, smashed (use 1 clove for delicate flavor; 2 cloves for strong flavor)
- 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup ground Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, zest reserved (optional)
- 3–4 oz fresh baby spinach
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with salt. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions; do not drain.
- Meanwhile, make the sauce. In a large 10-12 inch pan or braiser pot, warm the olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic clove(s) and cook, stirring occasionally, for 1 minute. Do not brown. The goal is to gently infuse the olive oil with a mild garlic flavor. Turn off the heat.
- To the skillet: Add the ricotta, heavy cream, only 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese, and lemon juice (if using). Mix thoroughly with a wooden spoon to combine. Taste and season to perfection with salt and pepper. Discard the garlic.
- At this point, the pasta should be ready. Reserve 1/2 cup of the starchy pasta water and set aside (you may or may not need it to loosen the sauce). Add the spinach to the pasta pot and give it a quick stir. It will wilt in 3 seconds. Finally, using a fine mesh strainer, scoop out the pasta and spinach and add it directly to the ricotta sauce.
- Toss the pasta with the ricotta sauce until well coated. Stir in the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water.
- Portion the pasta onto plates. Garnish with lemon zest (optional) and serve right away.
Comments
Richard Arnold says
Does it really need the heavy cream or is milk fine?
Cyndi Adams says
Made this with a few tweeks. More spinach, more parm, touch more cream to balance and added 1 more lbs of lemon. We loved it! So much so that it’s going into our family cookbook I’ve started (over course with full credit). Can’t wait to make it again. May throw some basil in for contrast with lemon.
January says
Made this EXACTLY as printed with lemon. A little on the bland side, but I think it would have popped more if I had used a better quality parmesean. Red pepper flakes would also help perhaps, but this dish, the way it’s presented was very good. Will make again!
Victoria Duerr says
Could you use feta?
Emilie Raffa says
Ooo.. that sounds really good. Haven’t tried it! If you experiment, let us know how it turns out :)
Tammy says
This dish was outstanding!! I wish I would have doubled it! I will definitely make this again! It was so fast and easy to make!
⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Emilie Raffa says
I’m so glad you liked it. Super easy, right? And yes: you can easily double it :)
Donna says
Made as written. Really liked a fresh squeeze of lemon just before serving. True to post, easy , fast, and delicious. Will make again
Emilie Raffa says
Excellent. Thanks for your helpful feedback Donna :)