Quick One Pot Pasta with Ricotta and Lemon

My easy one pot lemon ricotta pasta recipe is a perfect meal for any night of the week! The delicious sauce is made from creamy ricotta cheese, garlic and lemon.

Creamy lemon ricotta pasta is one of my favourite one pot pasta recipes for weeknight dinners as it is essentially a no-cook recipe. (If you don't count cooking the pasta and warming the sauce)!

It is bursting with bright lemon-y flavours which goes so well with the mild creaminess of the homemade ricotta sauce.

Ingredients

Full ingredients with measurements are available in the recipe card below at the end of this post

Pasta

There is no rule on what type of pasta you use whether you use a short or long pasta. I prefer shorter shapes because the sauce is quite heavy for the longer variety.

You can also use wholewheat pasta or any gluten-free pasta.

Reserved pasta water - the starchy water reserved from the cooked pasta is so important it's part of the main ingredients list!

Ricotta - you need fresh ricotta for this recipe. Use whole milk ricotta cheese to make the sauce extra creamy and for richer flavour.

Use leftovers to make Indian style fudge- Ricotta Cheese Peda

Lemon - I have used a whole unwaxed lemon for fresh lemon juice and lemon zest

Extra virgin olive oil

Garlic - I have used fresh minced garlic for the best flavours. You can use garlic powder as an alternative but fresh is so much better

Parmesan cheese - I have used a vegetarian friendly hard cheese but you can use any hard cheese that you prefer

Red pepper flakes - I like to add chilli flakes for a pop of colour and a gentle heat. Add more or less depending on your taste or omit totally

Heavy cream - I like to add a spoon or two of heavy cream to make the sauce extra silky however you can leave this out.

Black pepper and salt

Vegan Ricotta Pasta

In place of the ricotta, you can use a vegan soft cheese which has similar-ish texture to fresh ricotta.

Use vegan hard cheese in replacement of the parmesan.

Recipe Tips

Cook the pasta al dente for the best texture. For this, cook the pasta a little less than package directions.

If you find the sauce is a little too thick and you have run out of pasta water, add a splash of milk or cream if you have it.

Add the garnish just before serving so it doesn't wilt. I like to use rocket leaves but parsley would work great too.

Serving Suggestions

Pasta dishes always go great with garlic bread.

I love my White Bean Panzanella or White Bean Bruschetta with pasta.

For a wholesome meal, serve with Chickpea Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing.

Storage

For leftovers, store in an airtight container. If you saved any pasta water left, now is a good time to mix in a little as the sauce will thicken when it cools. Keep in the fridge and consume by the next day.

Reheat in the microwave or in a pan with either water, milk or cream if it is too thick.

I do not recommend freezing this pasta as it will loose its texture upon defrosting.

Other Pasta Recipes

One pot Pumpkin Pasta

TikTok Air fryer Lentil Pasta Chips (Gluten-free)

Saffron Pasta

Kale Spaghetti Genovese

Air Fryer Pasta Casserole

As always if you make this recipe, be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe and tag me on Instagram @jcookingodyssey or #jcookingodyssey. I love seeing all your photos of my recipe recreations!

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