Lemon pasta with ricotta and courgette – fresh and creamy, and lighter on calories.
This is one of those pasta dishes that surprises you with how much flavour you can get from so few ingredients.
Lemon pasta with ricotta and courgette is one of the recipes I love most – because it is so simple, fresh and full of flavour.
A dish that takes under 20 minutes and calls for just a handful of ingredients, yet tastes of so much more.
The method is simple, but delivers plenty of freshness and creaminess. Cook the pasta al dente, and fry the shallots, garlic and courgette in a little oil until soft and lightly golden. While the pasta is getting close to al dente, mix the ricotta, parmesan, lemon juice and lemon zest in a bowl with a little of the pasta water — that gives the cream just the right consistency. Once the pasta is cooked, toss it in the pan with the ricotta cream so all the flavours come together and the sauce clings nicely to the pasta. Finish with freshly ground pepper and, if you like, a little extra lemon zest for an aromatic lift.
It is also a lighter version than, say, a cream- or mascarpone-based sauce. Ricotta gives the pasta a lovely creamy texture while keeping it less heavy, which makes the dish perfect when you want something indulgent without it feeling too rich.
Lemon pasta with ricotta and courgette
Ingredients
- 4-500 g pasta, ideally rigatoni
- 2 shallots, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, grated or crushed
- 2 courgettes, cut into half-moons or cubes
- 250 g ricotta
- 50 g parmesan, finely grated
- 2 lemons, finely grated zest and juice
- 7 sprigs basil, leaves picked
- 200 ml pasta cooking water
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
- Olive oil
Method
- Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until al dente, following the packet instructions.
- Meanwhile, heat a frying pan and sweat the shallots in olive oil until soft and translucent. Then add the garlic and courgette and fry for 3-4 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.
- While that cooks, put the ricotta, parmesan, finely grated lemon zest and juice in a bowl. If the lemons are very juicy, start with the juice of just one and adjust with more lemon later, once the dish is assembled.
- When the pasta is almost al dente, pour 200 ml of the pasta cooking water into the bowl with the ricotta and whisk well until smooth. Keep the rest of the pasta water – you may need more.
- Tip the drained pasta into the pan with the ricotta cream and toss everything together well. Season to taste with more lemon juice, salt and freshly ground pepper.
- Stir the basil leaves through the sauce and serve topped with freshly ground pepper.
Nutrition
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