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A smooth and creamy pasta to add to your usual rotation, this is what we have called Ricotta Pesto Pasta. It is a blended sauce of basil and ricotta, which makes this delicious bright green sauce. You can get this ricotta pesto pasta on the table in 10 minutes (as long as it takes to cook the pasta) and the only pan you need is one to cook the pasta as the sauce is all made in a blender.
You only need a handful of ingredients for this ricotta pesto pasta
Garlic
Olive oil
Basil (use fresh basil leaves and you can add the stalks too as it all gets blended smoothly anyway)
Ricotta (this forms the base of the blended ricotta pesto pasta sauce)
Lemon (the sharpness of the lemon cuts through the creaminess of the ricotta and brings out the basil flavour)
Parmesan
Pasta (we used spaghetti, but use what you like)
Pasta water (not always included on an ingredient list but it is so key here to achieve the silky sauce that I have written it down so that you don’t accidentally drain it away before realising it is needed)
Frequently Asked Questions
Ricotta’s mild flavour means it works best here but if you want to make this right now and don’t have it on hand, you could add some crème fraiche, cream cheese or even cottage cheese in a pinch.
Pasta water is crucial here as not only do we use it to loosen the sauce in the blender, it also helps to thicken the sauce. The fact that it was used to cook the pasta is important as it means the water is starchy. This means that it won’t thin out the sauce like it would if you used water from the tap and it also means it will stick to the pasta, clinging to each strand.
Other pasta recipes that are also quick & easy
Cavolo nero pasta (this is a blended sauce again)
Creamy Boursin & Artichoke Pasta
Spicy Nduja Pasta
Creamy Lemon pasta
Easy creamy courgette pasta
Ricotta Pesto Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp pasta water
- 2 garlic cloves
- 60 ml olive oil
- 2 cups basil leaves
- 2 heaped tbsp ricotta
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
- 250 g of spaghetti
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Before draining, reserve some pasta water.
- Meanwhile, in a blender, combine garlic, olive oil, basil leaves, ricotta, lemon zest, and grated parmesan cheese.
- Blend the ingredients until a smooth and creamy consistency is achieved. If the mixture is too thick, gradually add the reserved pasta water to reach the desired texture, you want it just thick enough so it coats the pasta well but not so thick that is isn’t silky smooth.
- Season the pesto with salt and pepper to taste. It will need a fair amount of salt to bring out all the flavours so taste as you go.
- Toss the cooked pasta in the mixture, ensuring the pasta is well-coated. Then grate over more Parmesan to serve.
