This Lemon Ricotta Pasta features soft chewy pasta tossed in creamy and luscious ricotta sauce, flavored with fresh burst of lemon juice and lemon zest and a hint of garlic. A refreshing, delicious yet simple pasta dish made in under 30 minutes!
Perfect for busy weeknights or even a fancy date night in…this Italian pasta dish is for all pasta lovers!
Other pasta favorites on the blog include Spicy Rigatoni, Baked Ziti, Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta, and Spinach Lasagna. Check them out too!
Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Parmesan
We are a big pasta household. I have a fierce love for anything pasta, and it’s a good thing my husband does too 😉 After our travels to Italy, I attempt to recreate all my favorite pasta dishes at home to pretend I’m back there eating my heart out. This Lemon Ricotta Pasta is one of them.
There is so much to love about lemon ricotta pasta. It may sound fancy, but it’s also a simple pasta dish you can make for a quick lunch or dinner.
Ricotta is a mild-tasting creamy Italian cheese that has a chunkier texture. That chunky texture transforms into creamy and luscious sauce once melted by the heat in the skillet.
Together with garlic, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese (the real, cut-off-the-block kind), butter (well duh!) and a splash of heavy cream, the ingredients in the lemon ricotta pasta sauce come together to create a lightly creamy and flavorful lemon ricotta sauce.
The main flavor driver in the sauce is actually not the ricotta, but rather Parmesan. So even though you are adding way more ricotta than Parmesan into your sauce, it is the Parmesan that is bringing most of the flavor.
Pro tip: always get real Parmesan. The cut of the block, from the refrigerated section of the grocery store. Never the non-refrigerated in the bottle ones. Those typically has fillers in it, doesn’t melt well, and are not truly pure Parmesan. If you can find parmigiano reggiano, that’s even better!
I love how mild tasting ricotta cheese is. Most pastas use a cheese sauce made with cheese with a punchier taste such as cheddar. Ricotta is a pretty much milder and less in-your-face, but it still has that creamy texture.
Here’s why I am loving this lemon ricotta pasta…
- quick and easy: ready under 30 minutes!
- simple ingredients: made with only a few pantry-friendly ingredients. If you have leftover ricotta in your fridge, even better!
- restaurant quality: taste like a delicious pasta at an Italian restaurant…without the expensive price tag!
- so easy yet so elegant: level-up and switch up your plain ol’ pasta game!
Ingredients
A beautiful lemon ricotta pasta with parmesan sauce would not be possible without a lovely set of ingredients coming together. Here’s what you will need:
- Pasta: obviously! Use your favorite short or long pasta for this recipe. I typically use either spaghetti or penne, or principesse (as shown in the pictures) if I’m feeling fancy.
- Garlic: use fresh minced garlic instead of garlic powder and DO NOT skip 🙂 a necessary aromatic for the sauce.
- Unsalted butter: you can use salted if that’s what you have at hand! Just cut the salt at the end and then adjust to taste/top, if needed.
- Ricotta cheese: a creamy, rich Italian cheese. This is the star of the dish!
- Parmesan cheese: use high-quality parmesan cheese for the best flavor. Avoid the non-refrigerated kind.
- Heavy cream: this will give a thicker, richer flavor to your cheese sauce. In my opinion, this ingredient is a must to dial up the richness of your sauce and make it creamy and delicious. If you want is lighter, you can use half and half or whole milk.
- Reserved pasta water: make sure to save pasta cooking water before draining the pasta. This helps add starch back to the sauce and also makes the cheese sauce coats the pasta better (it’s magic!).
- Lemon juice: use juice from fresh lemons instead of the bottled kind for best taste
- Lemon zest: after juicing the lemons, grate it for the zest for even more lemony flavor!
- Salt & black pepper: used in the sauce for deeper, fuller flavor. Top with some salt and pepper after cooking as well to adjust taste.
How to Make It
Lemon ricotta pasta with parmesan is a simple and straightforward recipe. Here are the step-by-step instructions on how to bring this pasta dish together.
Step 1: Boil pasta and save pasta water
Boil pasta in a pot and then once it it cooked, drain pasta. Remember to save a 1/2 cup of pasta water and set it aside before draining pasta.
Why do we save the pasta water?
Pasta water contains starch and it used to thicken up the sauce and also helps prevent the pasta from sticking together.
Step 2: Make ricotta sauce
To make the ricotta sauce, you will need a large deep sided skillet. Grease skillet or pan with butter, then add minced garlic and saute until fragrant.
Avoid burning garlic.
Then add ricotta cheese. Stir and let the chunky ricotta turn smooth, then add lemon juice, parmesan cheese, and heavy cream. Continue to stir and let it come to a boil.
Sauce should be slightly thickened at this point.
Step 3: Combine pasta and sauce
Once the ricotta sauce is done, bring drained pasta to skillet, and add reserved pasta water.
Add with salt and black pepper, and toss everything to combine.
At this point, sauce should cling onto the pasta, and the pasta should be coated in white sauce.
Top with parmesan cheese and give it one final toss, then remove from heat.
We are basically done and ready to eat!
Plate lemon ricotta pasta and garnish with additional parmesan cheese, black pepper and salt to taste.
The end product is a pasta that is soft but chewy, slightly creamy but not heavy, flavorful (thanks to the parmesan!) and refreshing (thank you lemon!).
It is truly a sublime pasta dish that various people in my life have tried and loved.
Variations and Substitution
Here are a few ways you can jazz up this dish:
- drizzle truffle oil on top of your lemon ricotta pasta. YUM. This will add a lovely earthy flavor to your pasta.
- bring in fresh or dried herbs such as basil or parsley. Use it as garnish
- adding protein such as chicken, salmon, sausage or even steak.
- fold in veggies such as spinach, kale, peas or sun-dried tomatoes
- garnish with fresh basil or arugula.
I have a few “pro tips” to really bring this dish over the top.
Tips and Tricks
Remember these couple things when making lemon ricotta pasta:
- Save boiled pasta water: Reserve some pasta cooking water before draining pasta to add to the sauce! The starch in the pasta water will help thicken the sauce and coats it nicely onto the pasta
- Use good quality parmesan cheese: the refrigerated kind, that comes in a block or shredded. It makes a world of a difference!
- Use al-dente pasta: avoid overcooking the pasta! Boil pasta al-dente so that it is soft and chewy and not mushy. Keep in mind that pasta will soften more when toss in sauce.
- Butter vs. Olive oil: you’ll see me opting for butter over olive oil for this recipe (and most pasta entrees I make), I just love the creamy, buttery texture for the dish. Olive oil will work just fine as well if you prefer to not use butter, it just won’t bring the same taste profile to the dish.
- Spruce it up: Add fresh spinach, frozen peas, arugula or lightly cooked asparagus.
Storage and Reheat
Leftover lemon ricotta pasta can be store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
To reheat, drizzle water or milk onto lemon ricotta pasta and reheat in the microwave or cover skillet with foil and reheat in the oven.
Frequently Asked Questions
Any pasta works well! Use your favorite type of pasta.
While using whole milk ricotta cheese will give you a richer flavor, you can use low-fat ricotta cheese for a lower-calorie option. The flavor and consistency may be slightly different, but it should still be delicious.
Make sure to fully drain your pasta after boiling, and immediately add it to your sauce. Toss pasta well so it is covered in sauce to prevent it from sticking together. If you are not able to add pasta immediately to sauce, toss pasta in olive oil to prevent it from sticking together. Do not rinse pasta in cold water as this will wash away the starch on the pasta.
It is not recommended to freeze this dish. The cheese in the sauce will change the consistency slightly after being frozen. You can, however, cook the pasta a day ahead and keep in the refrigerator as a way to meal prep and shorten cook time.
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More Pasta Recipes
- Bacon Ranch Pasta Salad
- Steak Pasta
- Penne Alla Vodka with Chicken
- Creamy Smoked Sausage Pasta
- Spaghetti Aglio e Olio (Spaghetti with Garlic and Olive Oil)
Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta
- 1-2 tsp salt for boiling pasta
- 2 tbsp butter
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- 15 oz ricotta cheese
- ½ cup reserved pasta water
- 1 lemon zest
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ cup parmesan cheese grated, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- Bring water to boil in a large pot and add pasta and 1-2 tsp of salt. Boil pasta according to package directions. When pasta is done, reserve ½ cup of pasta water and drain the rest. Toss pasta in olive oil if it will sit for a while before being added to the sauce.
- In a deep sided skillet, melt butter. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Add ricotta cheese. Stir and allow cheese to fully melt.
- Add lemon juice, lemon zest, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Stir and bring to a simmer.
- Add cooked noodles to the skillet, then add in ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Toss to fully coat in sauce. Add parmesan. Toss to incorporate.
- Serve and enjoy!
