‘This pasta dish is a weeknight and for-company keeper any way you stir it’

This elegant, bright pasta comes together in about the same amount of time it takes to boil spaghetti and heat up a jar of store-bought pasta sauce

One-Pot pasta with ricotta and lemon is fabulously easy and surprisingly elegant

Ali Slagle

less than 2 min read

12:07PMNovember 19, 2024.

Updated 12:54PMNovember 19, 2024

The Weekend Australian Magazine

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This elegant, bright pasta comes together in about the same amount of time it takes to boil spahgetti and heat up a jar of store-bought pasta sauce. The no-cook sauce is a 50-50 mix of ricotta and Parmesan, with the zest and juice of a lemon thrown in. That’s it. You could toss a handful of peas, cut-up asparagus or spinach leaves into the boiling water with the pasta during the last few minutes of cooking, or add rocket or watercress with the sauce at the end. It’s a weeknight and for-company keeper any way you stir it.

Try New York Times Cooking’s other dishes: mayo-marinated chicken with chimichurri and traybake salmon with broccoli, sesame and ginger.

This is an edited extract from Easy Weeknight Dinners by New York Times Cooking.

Keep this for midweek dinners or dress it up to entertain friends on the weekend.

One-pot pasta with lemon and ricotta

Ingredients

• Salt and black pepper
• 1 packet short, ribbed pasta, such as penne
• 1 cup whole-milk ricotta
• 1 cup grated Parmesan or pecorino, plus more for garnish
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
• Red pepper flakes, for serving
• ¼ cup thinly sliced or torn fresh basil leaves, for serving (optional)

Method

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, according to packet instructions.
2. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta. In the same pot, make the sauce:
3. Add the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice and ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper; stir until well combined.
4. Add ½ cup of the cooking water to the sauce and stir until smooth.
5. Add the pasta and continue to stir vigorously until it is well coated. Add more cooking water as needed for a smooth sauce.
6. Divide the pasta among bowls and top each serving with some of the sauce that has pooled at the bottom of the pot. Garnish with Parmesan, black pepper, red pepper flakes and basil (if using) and serve immediately.

Serves 4