Light and refreshing, this One Pot Lemon Ricotta Pasta is made with simple ingredients in less than 15 minutes for an easy weeknight meal!
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Why We Love Lemon Ricotta Pasta
If you’ve been around for a while, you probably already know we have countless one pot recipes. However, this lemon ricotta pasta might be our all-time favorite dish! We’ve been making it for years and don’t plan on stopping any time soon. Not only do all of the ingredients come together and cook in one pot, but it’s also:
- Budget-friendly.
- Made with veggies for comfort food you can feel good about.
- Perfect to make ahead of time.
- Easy to bulk up or alter to fit your needs and preferences.
In fact, this ricotta pasta is so popular our kids request it by name!
Ingredients You’ll Need
With just a few simple ingredients, you’ll be able to create an absolutely irresistible dish.
- Pasta – We like Pappardelle egg pasta best, but any noodles of similar shape such as fettuccine can be used.
- Herbs and Seasonings – For zest flavor, we included garlic cloves, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, and mint.
- Broth – Both chicken and vegetable broth work. Just be sure to opt for a low-sodium version so as not to overpower the other ingredients with heaps of salt.
- Cheese – For the most decadent texture and taste, we incorporate a combination of whole milk Ricotta and fresh Parmesan cheese.
- Heavy Cream – Used to thicken the sauce, heavy cream also adds a smooth, rich texture no one can resist.
- Olive Oil – A good source of healthy fats, olive oil helps combine all of the ingredients in the lemon sauce, making it smooth, creamy, and full of flavor
- Veggies – We include sweet peas and arugula, but feel free to incorporate whatever you like best! It’s a great way to clean out leftovers from your fridge.
How to Make One Pot Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Pasta recipes seriously don’t get any easier than this!
- Stir uncooked pasta, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, salt, pepper, and broth together in a large pot.
- Bring the ingredients to a boil.
- Then, reduce the heat to medium, cover the pot, and cook for 10-12 minutes.
- Reduce the heat further, and stir in the ricotta, parmesan, cream, and oil.
- Add the veggies and mint.
- Toss to combine, sprinkle your favorite garnishes on top, and enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
We love to serve this lemon ricotta on its own for a filling vegetarian dish. However, it can also be paired with your favorite proteins and sides for an elaborate meal. Some of our favorite combinations include:
Storage and Leftovers
If possible, this ricotta pasta is best served fresh. However, it’s also great for
Fridge: Keep leftovers in an airtight container for 2-3 days.
Freezer: Store your pasta in a sealable bag or container for 2-3 months.
How to Reheat: Once thawed, reheat your pasta in the microwave or on the stovetop, adding in a little extra water or broth to loosen the sauce and freshen the noodles back up.
More Pasta Recipes You’ll Love
Looking for more pasta recipes the whole family will love? We’ve got you covered with these great recipes!
- Versatile and super easy, this Greek Pasta Bake is guaranteed to brighten up your day!
- A quick pasta dish, add your favorite veggies and protein of choice to turn this One Pan Alfredo Pasta into a filing meal.
- Bring the flavors of the south to your kitchen with this tantalizing One Pot Cajun Pasta!
- This Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake has all the flavors of creamy buffalo chicken you love in the convenience of a pasta dish!
One Pot Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 ounces Pappardelline egg pasta uncooked (or similar shape)
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1/2 fresh lemon + zest
- 3 teaspoons sea salt more or less to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper more or less to taste
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable or chicken broth
- 1/2 cup whole milk ricotta
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 10 ounces steamed sweet peas
- 4 ounces fresh baby arugula
- 3 Tablespoons chopped fresh mint
Instructions
- In an enameled pot or dutch oven add uncooked pasta, juice of half a lemon + the zest of half a lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, and broth. Stir to combine.
- Bring the ingredients to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 10-12 minutes or until pasta is al-dente.
- Once the pasta is cooked, reduce the heat to low. Stir in the ricotta, parmesan cheese, heavy cream, and extra virgin olive oil. It should come together and be nice and creamy.
- Add the steamed green peas, arugula, and fresh mint. Toss together until combined. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese, lemon zest and crushed red pepper, if desired.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I make your lemon ricotta pasta on repeat at least once a month. It’s easy fast delicious on a meatless Monday
Thank you so much, Rose!
Xo,
Alia & Radwa
This recipe is poorly written. You need to drain the pasta. Also, the lemon zest amount isn’t divided but you are told to put it in twice. I would save it to the end since you throw the broth out anyway. It will add more zip at the end. The sauce is still very thin. Overall flavor is okay but there are so many creamy pasta recipes out there, I can find another one.
The arugula dominated the dish and made the texture odd — I probably did something wrong.
Good flavor, but I really had to do some damage control to fix the dish before serving. It was so soupy and had too much liquid so it never became creamy. I took out over 2 cups of excess liquid at the end. I’ll make this again because the flavor was good but will follow my instincts with the measurements this time.
Absolutely loved it! Didn’t have heavy cream so did equal parts Greek yogurt and milk! So delish. Love the mint addition. Thank you.
Another fantastic recipe! Thank you!