Ingredients
Scale
1 lemon (juice and grated zest)
8 oz ricotta
7 oz ridged penne pasta
4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
6 finely chopped mint leaves or, alternatively, 3 tbsp of parsley leaves.
Instructions
- Take a medium sized pot and fill it for 3/4 with water, and bring it to a boil. When it does, add a handful of coarse salt, and wait for it to dissolve. Then, toss in the penne pasta and cook it al dente.
- Take about 1/3 cup of pasta cooking water, and set it astide. Then, drain the pasta, but do not rinse it. We need all the starch that it still has.
- After the pot has been emptied of all the water, add the lemon zest and juice along with the ricotta and parmesan cheese. Pour in the pasta water that you set aside before, and stir well for another minute or 2, while cooking over low heat.
- Take the pot away from the heat, cover it with a lid, and let it rest for another 5 minutes. This will make sure that every excess cooking water evaporates, binds with the cream or is absorbed by the pasta, bringing the thickening process to its peak.
- Take away the lid, add the finely chopped mint leaves, stir one last time and serve. If you want it to look extra fancy, garnish the plates with some fresh basil leaves or other greens of your choice.
Notes
Alternatively, you can “risottare” the pasta like in our lemon pasta recipe. It will require a little more attention and 1 more saucepan, though.
- Prep Time: 10
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian