Pesto and Ricotta Pasta
This Pesto and Ricotta Pasta is a decadent restaurant-quality pasta dish made easy right at home in 30 minutes. The fresh flavor of the pesto paired with the creamy lemon ricotta, makes every bite so addicting.
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories: 890kcal
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
Calories: 890kcal | Carbohydrates: 95g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 27g | Trans Fat: 0.003g | Cholesterol: 36mg | Sodium: 395mg | Potassium: 620mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 2722IU | Vitamin C: 32mg | Calcium: 275mg | Iron: 4mg
