Have some leftover ricotta from trying out yesterday’s recipe? No worries, you can use it to make this delicious spinach and ricotta spaghetti. Yes, it’s a series!
We’ve already seen how ricotta and spinach can match well together. They are a very common ravioli filling here in Italy, and you can also use them to make cannelloni al forno. But did you know that they’re a good pasta dressing as well?
This is another quick dish that requires inexpensive ingredients and little to no effort. Also, you can just set a timer and watch Netflix for most of that time.
What are you waiting for? Turn on the heat and make your next dinner now!
Ingredients
Grated garlic: if you’re a regular reader of this blog, you know we don’t like jarred garlic. Take some fresh garlic cloves, remove the peel, and grate them as you go.
Fresh ricotta: nothing to say about it, except that the fresher, the better.
Extra-virgin olive oil: or, if you like to give your meals an extra kick, Calabrian chili scented olive oil.
Parmesan cheese: I guess it’s not a secret anymore, my favorite ricotta mix is made with ricotta and parmesan.
Spinach: quite obviously. For this recipe, you’re going to cook it in the pasta water, so make sure it’s fresh and of good quality.
Spaghetti: or bucatini, if you like thicker shapes. This recipe also works well with rigatoni.
Ground black pepper & salt: you don’t want this dish to be bland.
Lemon zest and juice: if you tried out our lemon ricotta penne recipe, you already know that this is a perfect match.
Method
Step 1: Grate the lemon peel and garlic cloves. Then wash the spinach leaves.
Step 2: As per usual, take a medium-sized pot and fill it for about 3/4 with water, then bring it to a boil. Only, this time, add the spinach leaves to the water immediately after turning on the heat.
Step 3: In a bowl, mix ricotta with all the other ingredients (except the spaghetti, of course). This will create a smooth cream.
Step 4: When the water boils take out the spinach leaves with a slotted spoon and let them dry for a couple minutes on a strainer or on a clean cloth. In the meantime, use the same water to cook the spaghetti al dente.
Step 5: When the pasta is ready, drain it and toss it in the bowl with the ricotta mix, then add the spinach leaves and mix.
Let the pasta cool for about five minutes, then you can serve it. Enjoy!
Alternative ways
As usual, you can “risottare” the pasta, by cooking it on a saucepan with the oil and lemon zest, adding just a ladles of boiling water at a time. I explain the whole process better in my lemon pasta recipe.
Then, when the pasta is ready, you just have to add all the other ingredients and mix well while keeping the heat still on for a minute.
If you don’t want your kids to see the spinach leaves, you can blend them and combine them with the ricotta mix. It will become a smooth green sauce, so they might not want it anyway, but it’s surely a more discreet way of making them eat their vegetables.
What to serve this with
I would serve this spinach ricotta spaghetti with a side salad made of lettuce leaves, grilled chicken bites seasoned with some drops of lemon juices, and balsamic vinegar.
Alternatively, you could try out Gianna’s veal cutlets recipe. It could be a great second course.
Also, you could take some chicken breast slices, flour them, stir-fry them in a saucepan and dress them with some ham and melted provolone cheese.
And if you’re not in the mood for meat, you can go for an easy bruschetta, which is always a good and quick solution.
Wine: I think that a rosee wine is the best option for this dish. Try a Villa Lanata – Piemonte rosato DOC, it should be perfect for both this recipe and the meat pairings above. Alternatively, look for a good dry rosee with flowery scents, possibly medium-bodied.
Print
Spinach Ricotta Spaghetti
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 2 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
2 grated cloves of garlic
1 lemon (juice and grated zest)
8 oz ricotta
7 oz spaghetti
7 oz spinach leaves
4 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Ground black pepper & salt to taste
Instructions
- Grate the lemon peel and garlic cloves. Then wash the spinach leaves.
- Take a medium-sized pot and fill it for about 3/4 with water, then bring it to a boil. Only, this time, add the spinach leaves to the water immediately after turning on the heat.
- In a bowl, mix ricotta with all the other ingredients (except the spaghetti).
- When the water boils take out the spinach leaves with a slotted spoon and let them dry for a couple minutes on a strainer or on a clean cloth. In the meantime, use the same water to cook the spaghetti al dente.
- When the pasta is ready, drain it and toss it in the bowl with the ricotta mix, then add the spinach leaves and mix. Or, if you prefer, you can blend the spinach and combine it with the ricotta to create a green sauce.
- Let the pasta cool for 5 minutes, then you can serve it.
- Enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 10
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Cooking
- Cuisine: Italian
