One-Pot Pasta With Ricotta and Lemon Recipe (2024)

I made this with the addition of arugula. So good! Just tossed in the arugula at the end for some green, peppery flavour.

Made this tonight for the second time, and made several important upgrades. Most important, I used my mini Cuisinart blender to whip the artisanal whole milk ricotta and Parmesan into a delicious, creamy spread, before tossing it in the pan with spinach, lemon zest, a bit of lemon juice and hot pepper flakes, along with about 1 cup of pasta water. The result was a wonderful, rich sauce -- unlike the first time I did it, when I didn't use the blender and the "sauce" was mostly lumps of ricotta.

Made this last night as I used up cream and made ricotta. So silky smooth and so easy. Did not use Parmesan. Did use fresh basil. Also tossed in some roasted coins of summer squash and zucchini. Rave reviews all around.

I made this recipie as written, and had none of the texture / "curdled" problems reported by some. It was smooth and rich. I forwarded it to a friend, who made it "exactly", and did not like it after saying much of what others said: "bland", "curdled", "no taste"....I discovered that she inadvertently used low-fat riccotta instead of the full fat version called for. Do use the correct kind. I made again using goat milk riccotta - even more savory!

Yes, the peas are delicious here, and to make the sauce silky smooth, add a tablespoon (or more) of unsalted butter . . . luscious.

Once again, hardly a 15-minute prep time--unless you have a sous chef, which most of us don't, I'd venture to guess. Would be nice to have more accurate prep times with NYT recipes, which are often quite good, just totally unrealistic in that regard.

Great! I added Asparagus and found I didn’t need a full cup of pasta water. Generally needed more lemon zest in there to cut through the heaviness of the ricotta and Parmesan but that could be a personal preference.

Be sure to use a very good quality "whole milk" ricotta. It makes a huge difference. There are many supermarket brands out there with very grainy textures that will disappoint. Not having access to a quality, fresh ricotta, I make my own with Melissa Clark's excellent, quick and easy recipe that always comes out perfect.

Great starting point recipe, and made it a few times now. Favorite additions: 1. 2 tbsp of leftover homemade pesto stirred into the ricotta;2. Sprinkle toasted panko or lightly toasted pine nuts on at the end; and/or3. Preheat oven to 425/400 convection. Take 2 broccoli crowns, chop into florets; toss them in a light drizzle of olive oil, sprinkle S&P, garlic powder or garlic. Roast on sheet pan for 10-12 min or until done (while pasta boils) with some tasty brown bits. Toss into pasta.

I whipped Trader Joe’s ricotta with a little olive oil, salt and lemon zest before making the sauce. The sauce ended up very smooth and luscious.

Delicious. We make a variation of this often with peas and sausage but the addition of the lemon is really nice as well as the way to get a smooth sauce. Will be making again.

I made this last night to use up some homemade ricotta and it was a hit - plus easy!When I added the reserved cooking liquid to the sauce I was worried I'd thinned it out too much, but it thickened as it cooled and turned into the perfect consistency.I used the zest from two lemons and the juice of one, the pasta has a lovely bright lemon flavor. Didn't have basil so I took someone else's suggestion and tossed in arugula from the garden: delicious!

This was so great and so easy! I stirred in some arugula and topped it with sliced, grilled Italian sausage.

Subbing in a half-cup of the Costco fresh pesto for half of the cheese and the basil is a great shortcut. You also don't need to add extra salt.

Very good for a quick, tasty dinner. I would suggest if you know in advance that you are going to fix this, do yourself a favor and fix Melissa Clark's recipe for homemade ricotta. Maybe 30 minutes max for the ricotta and would add immeasurably to the flavor here.

Meh. Okay. Pretty bland. But I’m obviously in the minority.

Followed Elena's recommendation and whirled the ricotta and parm in my small Ninja for that super creamy texture. I added some baby spinach, and cooked the sauce with the pasta for a few minutes to get the pasta good and sticky/coated with the sauce. This was a delightful meal - very well received.

This is fine but it is kind of one note. Sauteed onion and garlic would take it to the next level. I added peas and basil too. Great weeknight recipe though. Quick and easy.

How easy was that? Like pasta cheesecake.

pretty bland and nevermind. clean up is a mess. i think i always expect more from ricotta that it's capable of giving.

Some subpar stuff. Used high quality ricotta and it still turned out fairly mealy. Even if it didn't, the lemon notes were excessive. Grew angrier with every forkful. Plenty of leftovers that I'm not eager to eat. Heed my warning and save yourself the heartache: look elsewhere and forget you ever saw this recipe.

Basil was essential. May try add some fresh corn next time.

This is a delicious base to get creative with - all you need is to add fresh herbs and whatever chopped veggies you’ve got laying around…sliced sautéed Italian or andouille sausage would be a delicious meat add in…or even salami or pepperoni. Just keep ricotta, parm, some pasta, and a good olive oil on hand and you’ve got an easy weeknight meal.

great recipe. i usually add garlic + a pint of cherry tomatoes roasted until juicy. + i blend the sauce b4 combining w pasta :)

The pasta water is magic here. I made a version of this myself the other night bc I had all the ingredients at home and figured they’d make a reasonable dish. It was a congealed mess. Tonight did virtually the same thing but w pasta water and it’s fantastic. I added some fried pancetta which made it really top notch.

I’ve made this twice with good quality ricotta and both times the sauce clumped, separated and was mealy. I won’t make it again.

OMG this is the world’s greatest mac and cheese. Thank you, NYT!!!

I always make enough (with misc. vegetable additions) to have leftovers as ingredient for Mark Bittman's pasta frittata.

Wanted to love but didn't. Used topnotch cheeses, whirled them in blender to combine before making sauce (as per reader suggestion), added peas & arugula, die-cut Italian pasta. Surprisingly bland dish, and the lemon--which i expected to shine--was an off-note.

1) Halve the pasta (2 oz per person). It's like doubling the sauce, and still plenty for 4!2) Mix together the sauce in a casserole/serving pot as the pasta cooks. (Yes, that's 2 pots, but it's faster, with an equivalent number of wash ups!)3) Toss in cooked pasta and a cup of frozen peas (or roasted broccoli! Yum!) Season as desired and dinner is served!4) Or sprinkle on a crumb topping, toast in the broiler a couple minutes. Now it's a special occasion!