Simply Divine One Pot Lemon Ricotta Pasta

A one-pot lemon ricotta pasta recipe that is so divine, it will become your new favorite creamy pasta! Each bite is irresistible and perfectly balanced with refreshing flavors of lemon, creamy ricotta, nutty parmesan, and fresh spinach and garlic. This meal comes together in just 20 minutes and is incredibly easy to make. Serve it on its own with a salad, or add some grilled chicken on top! Either way, this dish is sure to impress.

I dreamt about creating this recipe and once I nailed down the perfect method, it turned out to be one of my favorite recipes yet! Although, for red sauce, my Margherita pasta recipe will always have my heart.

I love a good one-pot pasta, but this one truly couldn’t be easier. The flavors all go together so well and the lemon isn’t overpowering at all. I was concerned about that, as in my first recipe test the lemon was too prominent. It’s creamy and satisfying, yet still refreshing…Does that make sense? You will have to try it for yourself.

Simple ingredients

RICOTTA CHEESE – Use fresh whole milk ricotta, I love Belgioioso as I find it has superior flavor quality. Ricotta is the star in this dish, bringing incredible creaminess to the pasta. I find this brand in the fine cheese section, near the deli.

PARMESAN CHEESE – Freshly grated parmesan, using the fine side of your cheese grater (I’ll link one below). Parmesan cheese adds some complexity to the flavor of the ricotta, adding subtle salty, nutty notes.

DRY PASTA – You can have fun with this one and use any fun, short, artisan pasta. I recommend using a fusilli, rotini, or cavatappi shape. Be sure to use shelf-stable pasta, as opposed to refrigerated homemade pasta.

LEMON – We use a little bit of zest and a little bit of juice here. Zest adds more of the essence of lemon, while the juice adds flavor and acidity.

GARLIC – Minced fresh garlic adds another layer of complexity to the flavor. Cooking the garlic with the pasta together is what helps makes the pasta so flavorful.

BABY SPINACH – Baby spinach is mild making it the perfect subtle addition to a creamy lemon pasta dish.

How to make one pot lemon ricotta pasta

MISE EN PLACE

This one pot pasta comes together very quick, so I recommend prepping your ingredients ahead of time, “mise en place” style, with each ingredient measured out and ready to toss in the skillet.

cook the pasta

Heat some butter and olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. If you are doubling this recipe to serve more than 3 people, I recommend using a heavy-bottomed pot like a dutch oven.

You’re then going to sauté the minced garlic for just a couple of minutes, then add in the pasta, water and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer and let it simmer for about 13 minutes

Cooking the pasta is the only “tricky” part of one-pot pasta recipes. You want to make sure you stir the mixture frequently to keep it from getting too sticky, or the result will be a gummy, glue-like texture. Yuck.

wilt the spinach

Once the pasta is cooked through, turn the heat down low and add in the spinach. We don’t want to cook the spinach too much, just wilt it. This only takes a minute or so of stirring.

Mix in cheese and lemon

This is when all your dreams will come true and this dish becomes heavenly. Mix in the ricotta, half of the parmesan, the zest, and the lemon juice. Turn off the heat and sprinkle the remaining parmesan cheese on top.

I like to serve this recipe right in the skillet at the table, as it’s so pretty with the cheese sprinkled on top and speckles of lemon zest throughout.

Serve this recipe with protein

• Sliced grilled chicken
• Mix in pulled rotisserie chicken (at the end)
• Grilled or baked salmon
• Top with grilled or sautéed shrimp
• Seared scallops would be delicious!