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Sara Kate Gillingham
Sara Kate Gillingham
Sara Kate is the founding editor of The Kitchn. She co-founded the site in 2005 and has since written three cookbooks. She is most recently the co-author of The Kitchn Cookbook, published in October 2014 by Clarkson Potter.
updated May 7, 2019
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A quick recipe for pasta tossed in a no-cook ricotta sauce that's flavored with lots of lemon and fresh basil.
Serves6Prep5 minutesCook10 minutesreviews
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I learned this treatment for pasta from an old neighbor of mine who took his cooking very seriously and made even the simplest meal seem like a dinner party. Music gets changed, co*cktails are poured, stories told; there’s a lot of gesticulating.
But really, all there is to this dish is boiling the pasta, tossing the sauce ingredients into a big bowl, and then tossing in the drained pasta. It’s a stress-free party dish, or even just your dinner tonight.
This pasta can be pulled together in as long as it takes the pasta to cook; between 9 and 13 minutes, depending on the shape you use. Because it is so simple and the uncooked sauce has so few ingredients, using the best-quality ingredients you can find makes a difference — especially when it comes to the ricotta. If you can avoid the skim-milk and commercially made versions, do. If you have time, you can even make your own.
The pasta shapes that best complement this sauce are small-shaped pieces, like rotini, penne, fusilli, and gemelli; these shapes hold the sauce. Again, quality makes a big difference here. Now’s the time to spring for something better than plain-wrap spaghetti. However, if it’s all you have, you’ll still be eating well.
Tester’s Notes
I am on board for anything that involves ricotta, so I was thrilled to finally give this recipe a try. It’s as simple as you’d think it is, and that’s what makes it so special. I was able to assemble everything in under 15 minutes, and yet sitting down to a bowl of this pasta still felt special and a bit fancy.
Based on previous comments, I did lower the amount of ricotta cheese so that the pasta wasn’t swimming in sauce, and I decreased the amount of olive oil to just a finishing drizzle, as the dish is plenty luxe and rich without the original couple of tablespoons.
It’s worth it to use good-quality ricotta here, so try to seek out the best you can find. I also used Pecorino Romano cheese instead of Parmesan, which is a bit saltier and nuttier, and it gave the pasta a bit more dimension (although if all you have is Parmesan, this dish will still be great).
Finally, I couldn’t resist adding a pinch of red pepper flakes for a little heat to cut through the creaminess, but of course I left it optional, if you’re not up for spice.
– Sheela, May 2018
A quick recipe for pasta tossed in a no-cook ricotta sauce that's flavored with lots of lemon and fresh basil.
Prep time 5 minutes
Cook time 10 minutes
Serves 6
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1 pound
dried short pasta, such as gemelli, fusilli, penne, or rotini
- 1 1/2 cups
ricotta cheese, preferably freshly made
- 1 cup
finely grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
Finely grated zest of 1 large lemon
Juice of 1 large lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup
loosely packed fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
Good-quality olive oil, for serving
Instructions
Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce.
Place the ricotta, Pecorino or Parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper in a large heatproof bowl and stir to combine. When there are about 2 minutes remaining in the pasta's cooking time, place the bowl over the pot and slowly stir the ricotta mixture. You should see it loosening as it warms.
When the pasta is al dente, drain it well. Add it to the bowl of ricotta and mix well to evenly coat the pasta in the sauce. Add the basil and red pepper flakes, if using, toss, and serve immediately. Drizzle olive oil over each serving.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Filed in:
Cheese
dinner
easy
herbs
italian
Main Dish
