20-Minute Ricotta Pesto Pasta
This Ricotta Pesto Pasta blends bold and fresh flavors with creamy, but not-too-rich ricotta to bring you succulent and zesty pasta in just 20 minutes.
Equipment
- Food Processor *or *
Ingredients
- 16 ounces pasta of choice
- 1 ounce fresh basil 1 oz basil = approx. 1 cup
- 2 ounces arugula 1 oz arugula = approx. 2 cups
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice 1 lemon = approx. 4 tablespoons juice
- 1 ounce pine nuts 1 oz pine nuts = approx. ¼ cup
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 ounces extra virgin olive oil 2 oz EVOO = approx. ⅓ cup
- 1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese 1 oz Parmesan = approx. ¼ cup
- 15 ounces Ricotta cheese 15 oz Ricotta = approx. 1 ¾ cups
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Cook the pasta al dente according to the directions on the packaging. Before straining the pasta, conserve some of the past water just in case you want to add some to your sauce to thin it out.16 ounces pasta of choice
- Add the basil, arugula, lemon juice, pine nuts, garlic, olive oil, Parmesan, ricotta, salt, and pepper to a food processor or high-powered blender and blend on high until smooth.1 ounce fresh basil, 2 ounces arugula, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 ounce pine nuts, 2 cloves garlic, 2 ounces extra virgin olive oil, 1 ounce grated Parmesan cheese, 15 ounces Ricotta cheese, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Asses the consistency of the sauce. If it seems too thick, you can add some of the conserved pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency. Serve over the cooked pasta and enjoy!
Notes
- If you have ready-made pesto, you can easily use that in place of all of the other pesto ingredients. Just blend 1 cup of pesto with 15 ounces of ricotta to make the sauce.
- For more recipes like this, check out this list of Meatless Pasta Meals.
- For even more pesto, check out my best recipes using pesto.