This easy Pesto and Ricotta Pasta is a decadent restaurant-quality dish made right at home in 30 minutes. The fresh flavor of pesto paired with creamy lemon ricotta makes every bite so addicting.
If you are craving comfort food, a flavorful pasta like my Pistachio Pesto Pasta or Creamy Chicken Mushroom Pasta is just the thing. This recipe is for what I call a winter pesto so that this creamy pasta can be enjoyed year-round as a main course or side dish.
I call it a winter pesto because I've mixed spinach in with the basil to use less basil. Basil is so easy to come by in the summer months, but not as much in the winter. The spinach stretches the basil so you simply use less!
Why you'll love this recipe
With just a few simple ingredients, you'll be on your way to fresh green pesto pasta success. Here's what I love most about this Pesto and Ricotta Pasta:
- Easy 30-minute pasta: If you are short on time, this is the perfect dish to throw together. Simply boil the noodles and use a food processor to make the sauce. Anyone can make this!
- Restaurant-quality: The nuances of flavor in the pasta will make you feel like you're dining out while enjoying the comfort of your own home.
- Customizable: The base recipe is delicious on its own, but is also easy to customize with all sorts of add-ins like meat, veggies, and seasonings.
Classic pesto vs. winter pesto
I love making classic pesto in the summer when there is basil growing everywhere. My go-to recipe for Classic Pesto is very straightforward. I use just basil, some pine nuts, Parmesan, and garlic for a fresh summer sauce.
In cooler months, I make a winter pesto from a mix of flat-leaf parsley, spinach, frozen peas, and only a little basil for flavor (it can get a smidge pricey in its off-season). I also use raw almonds for texture in place of more expensive pine nuts and lemon juice for brightness.
Hint: Use a classic pesto or any other favorite pesto recipe in place of the winter pesto on the recipe card. You can even use a store-bought pesto!
Jump to:
- Why you'll love this recipe
- Classic pesto vs. winter pesto
- Ingredients & Substitutions
- How to make pesto and ricotta pasta
- Tara's top tips
- Variations
- How to customize pesto and ricotta pasta
- Equipment
- What to serve with pesto and lemon ricotta pasta
- Storage, freezing, and make-ahead instructions
- FAQ
- More easy pasta recipes
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
So good. Love pesto, never made with peas before. I especially like the ricotta creme. Lovely, and solves any issue of ricotta getting gritty.
- Joyce
Ingredients & Substitutions
Simple ingredients are the key to this recipe. Check out these ingredient tips as you gather everything you'll need. See recipe card for quantities.
For the lemon ricotta
- Ricotta cheese
- Heavy cream
- Lemon zest: Use a microplane for easy zesting.
- Cracked black pepper
For the pesto pasta
- Flat leaf parsley: Remove tough stems.
- Baby spinach leaves
- Basil leaves
- Frozen peas: Thaw before use. They add some sweetness to the sauce.
- Raw almonds
- Lemon juice
- Small garlic clove
- Kosher salt
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Spaghetti noodles: Cooked and drained. Replace regular spaghetti noodles with whole wheat, gluten-green, or other specialty spaghetti noodles, if desired.
How to make pesto and ricotta pasta
Let's get started! Follow along with this easy photo tutorial. Full instructions in the recipe card below.
- Make the lemon ricotta: In a small mixing bowl, use a hand mixer to combine the ricotta, heavy cream, lemon zest, and pepper. Set aside when light and fluffy, about 1 minute.
- Make the winter pesto: Add the parsley, spinach, basil, peas, almonds, lemon juice, garlic, and salt to the food processor bowl. Pulse until finely chopped. Then drizzle in olive oil while pulsing until the pesto is combined and smooth.
- Toss and serve: Toss pesto with hot, drained pasta. Divide between bowls, top with a dollop of lemon ricotta, and garnish with extra lemon zest and pepper.
- Step 1: Add all the pesto ingredients to a food processor except the olive oil. Blend until finely chopped.
- Step 2: Add the olive oil while pulsing until it is just combined.
Tara's top tips
Al dente noodles: Generously salt the pasta water and cook the noodles until al dente (firm, not mushy).
Use peas: One of the secrets to making an excellent winter pesto is using peas. They give the sauce an extra bright color and add sweetness.
Mix the pesto and noodles in a bowl: Basil is a somewhat delicate herb, and it doesn't like heat. Although there isn't a lot of basil in this recipe, it's still best to mix the sauce with the noodles in a clean bowl instead of a hot pan to help it retain its bright color.
Pasta water: use some reserved pasta water to help the pesto bind to the spaghetti. Add as little or as much as you want for a saucy finish.
Variations
You might end up with some leftover lemon ricotta cream or winter pesto, and you can use it in lots of different ways:
Lemon ricotta cream: Just two flavors, lemon zest and pepper, make this cream genius. Oh my, it's delicious! If you have leftover cream, it's perfect on toasted French bread, dolloped on pizza, or as a topping for your favorite Italian soup.
Winter pesto: If you don't use all the pesto for your pasta, it can be spread on sandwiches or served over chicken the next day.
How to customize pesto and ricotta pasta
Meat: Add sliced steak or grilled chicken to this pasta. The simple addition will make it a complete, filling meal.
Veggies: You can add grilled or sautéed asparagus, zucchini or summer squash to the pasta before tossing with the pesto. Also try sliced cherry tomatoes, or cooked eggplant for a vegetable forward dish!
Seasonings: Add some red pepper flakes to the ricotta cream for extra heat.
Equipment
I really like this food processor. If you don’t already have one, I’d suggest this honey. It’s the perfect size for my NY apartment, while still being big enough to blend my pestos and pie crusts and hold a decent batch of hummus.
A microplane grater is perfect for lemon zest in this recipe. Use it for finely grated Parmesan, or even mincing garlic!
Use a hand mixer to mix the ricotta cream together, or your favorite whisk.
What to serve with pesto and lemon ricotta pasta
When serving pesto and ricotta pasta as a side dish, I like to pair it with a fish or meat dish like these:
Storage, freezing, and make-ahead instructions
Refrigerate: The pasta can be stored in the refrigerator in a covered container for about 1 week. If you don't use all of the pesto or lemon ricotta, store them separately in individual airtight containers.
Freeze: I don't recommend freezing this pasta recipe. However you can freeze extra pesto for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and use the next day.
Make-ahead: If desired, you can prep the lemon ricotta, winter pesto, and noodles in advance. Simply bring the pesto and lemon ricotta to room temperature and reheat the noodles before tossing them with the pesto to serve.
FAQ
Definitely! You can replace the suggested winter pesto recipe with either store-bought pesto or another homemade version like my classic pesto.
A mild and creamy ricotta is my favorite, but you can swap cottage cheese, or mascarpone for the ricotta and still have a wonderful dish.
Yes! Add cooked asparagus, sliced cherry tomatoes, cooked zucchini or summer squash, or grilled eggplant to this recipe.
More easy pasta recipes
An easy pasta dish is a lifesaver after a busy day. Try these blog favorites!
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📖 Recipe
Pesto and Ricotta Pasta
Ingredients
For the Lemon Ricotta:
- 1 cup part-skim ricotta
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- Zest of 1 lemon (about 1 tablespoon)
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
For the pesto pasta:
- 1 cup packed flat leaf parsley (tough stems removed)
- 1 cup packed baby spinach leaves
- ½ cup basil leaves
- ½ cup frozen peas (thawed)
- ⅓ cup raw almonds
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 small clove garlic
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound spaghetti (cooked and drained - reserve some pasta water)
Instructions
- Combine the ricotta, cream, lemon zest, and pepper in a bowl. Whip with an electric mixer or whisk, until light and fluffy, about a minute. Set aside.
- In a food processor, combine parsley, spinach, basil, peas, almonds, lemon juice, garlic, and salt. Pulse until finely chopped. Drizzle in olive oil while pulsing and mix the pesto until quite smooth and combined.
- Toss pesto with hot, drained pasta, and stir in some pasta water (a few tablespoons at at time) to make the coating saucy. Divide between bowls. Add a dollop of lemon ricotta on top of each bowl and garnish with extra lemon zest and pepper.
Nutrition
Tara Teaspoon
I’ve been in food publishing for over 25 years, creating recipes & food-styling for magazines, books, television, food brands, & advertising. With two cookbooks under my belt and thousands of my recipes at your fingertips, I hope you'll be inspired to spend more time in the kitchen!
Emily says
This looks soooo incredibly delicious! I often make ricotta pasta or pesto pasta, but I never thought to combine the two into this gorgeous creation.
Emily says
This looks soooo incredibly delicious! I often make ricotta pasta or pesto pasta, but I never thought to combine the two into this gorgeous creation.
Michelle says
Wow, this looks like such a delicious recipe! I get ricotta fresh every monday, and I'm definitely going to cook this for lunch next week. Thanks for sharing!!
Kristy Bullard says
Love all of the flavor combinations! The Lemon Ricotta is so light and refreshing and it pairs well with the pesto!
SONIA SEIVWRIGHT says
Okay, yum. This sounds like the perfect kind of dinner — light, creamy, and full of flavour. I never would've thought to mix lemony ricotta with pesto, but now I kinda need to try it. Totally saving this for a summer night when I want something easy but still feels fancy.
Catalina says
This pesto and ricotta pasta was absolutely dreamy! The creaminess from the ricotta combined with the bright flavor of the pesto made it feel like something from a fancy restaurant!
Karletta says
Delicious. The lemon ricotta takes our favourite pasta dish to a whole new level. Perfection.