One Pot Pasta with Ricotta and Lemon

This simple one pot pasta with ricotta and lemon is in constant rotation on our meal plan. The creamy sauce is made with ricotta cheese and flavored with lemon juice and zest, garlic, Parmesan cheese, and black pepper. Shell pasta soaks up that rich sauce and is the best shape to grab the sweet green peas! The pasta is finished with a handful of bright parsley and extra Parmesan for a comforting main dish or side that compliments all sorts of dishes.

This recipe has been tested so that you can cook it on your stovetop or your pressure cooker. The pressure cooker version is quick and makes a tender pasta with a starchier sauce. The stovetop version gives you more control over the texture of the pasta as well as the sauce, since you add in reserved pasta water as you see fit when combining all of the ingredients at the end.

In spring, I love the combination of lemon, spring vegetables, and herbs and this Pasta with Ricotta and Lemon recipe has it all. It is a crazy simple dish to put together no matter which cooking method you choose. If you want to pair this dish with a lemony desert, try Lemon Curd Thumbprints, Strawberry Lemon Bars, or Sweet Focaccia with Blueberries and Lemon.

Ingredients

I include ingredient notes here when I think they'll be helpful, including ways to source, any preparation tips, or why I've chosen a particular ingredient. Be sure to check out the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and their quantities!

• Shell Pasta - Use medium or mini shell pasta for this dish, both sizes are perfectly coated with sauce and scoop up the bright green peas.
• Garlic - Two fresh cloves are used in the recipe and they are blanched along with the cooking pasta so that the garlic flavor is mellow, not sharp.
• Ricotta Cheese - Ricotta is a fresh cheese with a slightly sweet and mild dairy flavor. Use a whole milk ricotta for the best flavor and texture in the finished pasta. The extra milk fat will help create a silky sauce.
• Parmesan Cheese - Freshly grated or shredded Parmesan adds a rich umami quality to the cheese sauce. Use a vegetarian Parmesan cheese if needed to keep the pasta dish vegetarian.
• Lemon  - One fresh lemon will yield both lemon zest and lemon juice to bring a bright flavor note to the pasta. Do not substitute with bottled lemon juice, as this is one of the main flavor components of the dish.
• Frozen Peas - Frozen peas are so handy to have stashed in the freezer and they cook up in a flash. Because they are blanched before freezing to lock in the color and flavor, they need only a couple of minutes in the boiling pasta water to warm up and cook completely.
• Parsley - This common herb delivers a bright, verdant, grassy flavor to your pasta dish. Use flat-leaf parsley (also called Italian parsley) if you can find it. It's easier to clean and the flavor is a bit stronger. Give it a good rinse under running water before chopping. Parsley leaves can trap sandy soil.

Stovetop Instructions

Zest the lemon and then juice it to yield one teaspoon of zest and three tablespoons of juice. Chop the parsley and peel the garlic cloves.

Bring a large sauce pan of water to a boil over high heat.

Add the pasta to the cooking water and cook it according to package directions for an al dente texture.

About two minutes from the end of the pasta cooking time, add your peas and garlic cloves. Continue cooking until the past is ready.

Before draining the pasta and peas, reserve about ½-cup of pasta water. This will be used for thinning the sauce as well as reheating any leftovers. Drain the pasta and peas completely.

Add the pasta and peas to the cooking pot with one tablespoon of olive oil. Stir the pasta and peas to coat them well and prevent them from sticking to the pot. Pull out the two blanched garlic cloves.

Add the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, pepper, one tablespoon of olive oil, and the garlic cloves to the bowl of a food processor.

Process until the sauce is smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides of the processor.

Add the blended ricotta and lemon sauce to the warm pasta and peas.

Stir the pasta to evenly coat it with the sauce. Use a splash of reserved pasta water, if desired, to get the desired texture for the sauce.

Transfer the pasta to a serving dish and garnish it with the chopped parsley. Sprinkle over some extra Parmesan or offer it table side for topping individual portions.

Pressure Cooker Instructions

You can prepare this pasta in the pressure cooker for an even speedier meal. Add the pasta, 1 tablespoon of oil, garlic, and 2 cups of water to the pressure cooker insert. Seal and cook with manual high pressure for 6 minutes and perform a quick release.

While the pasta cooks, thaw the peas under cool water. Prepare the sauce as indicated above and in the recipe card below. Stir the sauce and peas into the hot pasta and allow the pasta to sit for a few minutes to warm the sauce and peas. Garnish with the parsley and extra Parmesan cheese and serve!

Substitutions and Variations

The substitutions listed below have been tested in this recipe and work well. If you successfully make any other ingredient substitutions, let us know in the comments!

• Use Fresh Peas - If you have fresh peas on hand, they'll need a bit longer cooking time than frozen peas. Add them to the boiling water (for the stovetop method) about halfway through the recommended pasta cooking time. This will give the peas 4-5 minutes to cook thoroughly.
• Change Pasta Shapes - We love the pasta shells because each one perfectly holds a pea! If you don't have pasta shells on hand, switch up the pasta shape to fusilli, cavatappi, orecchiette, gemelli, or rotini pasta. Just follow package directions for pasta cooking time.
• Make Additions - Keep this pasta vegetarian but add extra flavor with wilted spinach, sauteed mushrooms, torn basil leaves, broccoli, or some extra spice with crushed red pepper flakes. Add a boost of protein with cooked and crumbled bacon, sauteed shrimp, grilled chicken, or cooked and crumbled sausage.

Equipment

Use the common kitchen tools below to make the preparation of this tasty pasta easy and quick:

• Food Processor - The ricotta sauce gets extra smooth when you use a food processor to blend the cheeses, garlic, and lemon.  Alternatively, you can use a standard blender with a pitcher large enough to accommodate the sauce ingredients. 
• Microplane Zester - Use this for grating the Parmesan as well as zesting the lemon. These long wand-style graters make quick work of any citrus, Parmesan cheese, nutmeg, or chocolate for all sorts of recipes. The small holes of a box grater will also work for both the Parmesan and the lemon, just take care to only grate the yellow part of the lemon skin.
• Citrus Reamer - I find pressed glass reamers with a dish to catch the juice and a spout for easy pouring at the thrift store all the time.

Serving Suggestions

Serve this pasta with a hefty sprinkle of additional Parmesan cheese and the chopped parsley right on top. This is a cozy dinner all on its own or with a green salad, but can also be a side dish for grilled or baked chicken, sauteed shrimp, or broiled salmon.

Make This Recipe Kid Friendly

This pasta sauce is creamy and mild and many kids enjoy it. I have one that doesn't like the lemon in the sauce, so I process all of the other ingredients separately and reserve a small portion of the ricotta sauce for them. Then I add the lemon juice and zest back into the sauce, stir it together, and use this version for the rest of the family. This is a small step that makes this recipe something everyone at our table can enjoy.

Find more tips like this in my post Keeping Peace with Picky Eaters!

Storage

You can store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. I find that the sauce gets absorbed into the pasta when it rests; stir in an extra dollop of ricotta or a splash of milk or reserved pasta water when reheating to restore the creamy texture. Pasta with Ricotta and Lemon reheats well for weekday leftovers.

FAQ

More Vegetarian Pasta Dinners

Dig in to any of the recipes below for a hearty vegetarian meal or side dish with big flavor and easy preparation:

Savory Lemon Dishes

Lemon is one of my favorite flavors to add for perking up both sweet and savory recipes. Check out these recipes for new options for adding lemon to your main and side dishes:

Try It and Share

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