This Lemon Ricotta Pasta might be the quickest dinner I make - ready in under 10 minutes with a creamy no-cook sauce you mix together while the pasta boils. That's it. No standing over the stove, no extra pans, no fuss. With lots of lemon flavor and cheesy goodness it's a great quick main or side for your favorite protein.
Pasta Doesn't Get Much Easier Than This
This might just be the quickest recipe I've ever created. Done in under 10 minutes (but closer to 5) it's a great pasta dish for those super busy weeknights when you just need to get something on the table quickly.
All you need to do is cook the pasta, make the no-cook sauce, and combine. Fresh pasta makes it super quick - but you can also use dry pasta.
The sauce is intensely lemony (both juice AND zest), creamy from the ricotta, and has just enough garlic and Pecorino to give it real depth. It works beautifully as a main course or a side dish alongside your favorite protein - and with just 7 ingredients, it's the kind of recipe that earns a permanent spot in your weeknight rotation.
"Such a delicious dish that is super quick and simple to make." - Katie
Lemon, Cheese & Pasta!
Choose Your Pasta
Fresh pasta is always tastier, and it also cooks so much quicker - which is how this recipe is truly done in just 5-10 minutes. Dried pasta is perfectly fine to use as well, but will take a bit longer to cook.
Choose Your Cheese
I use Pecorino cheese for this recipe, while many other recipes use Parmesan cheese. Why? Basically, I find that Pecorino adds more flavor and it is also a bit saltier - so I love it for dishes like this where I really want to add some more depth. However, Parmesan is also a great choice, so you can use whichever you have.
Fresh Lemon Is the Key
Bottled lemon will not do for this recipe. You want both the zest and the juice, and for maximum flavor that juice needs to be fresh squeezed.
You Can Make It Vegetarian & Gluten-Free
Make it vegetarian: Pecorino contains animal rennet, so to make it vegetarian use a pecorino substitute without animal rennet. You can often find "Italian hard cheese" which is similar to parmesan cheese and made without animal rennet, and that will work fine.
Make it gluten-free: Just use gluten-free pasta.
Optional Add-Ins
This recipe is delicious as it is, and I usually serve it exactly like this. However, there are also many ways you can switch it up and add some extra flavor. Here are some suggestions:
- Extra nutrients: Add spinach with the pasta for the last minute of cooking.
- Even more veggies: Add asparagus, broccoli, zucchini or other veggies. Boil with the pasta or sauté before adding.
- A spicy kick: Add chili flakes.
- Extra flavor: Add fresh basil leaves just at the end
- Something green: Add arugula on top just before serving.
Just Make the Sauce & Mix With Pasta
1. Make the Sauce
Get the pasta cooking, and while it's cooking you can make the sauce. Just place all the ingredients in a bowl and mash them together. Done!
2. Mix With Pasta
Drain the pasta (don't forget to keep some of the pasta water!), then add it back to the pot. Add a bit of pasta water to the lemon ricotta sauce and mix until smooth, then add the sauce to the pasta together with some more pasta water. Mix really well, until the pasta is well coated. Top with some lemon zest and fresh ground black pepper, and serve!
Expert Tips
Cook the pasta in heavily salted water. This helps season both the pasta and the sauce. The water should taste like the sea when sufficiently salted!
Don't overcook the pasta. You want it to be al dente. I often cook it 1 minute less than what's stated on the package.
Don't rinse the pasta. You need all that starch to combine with the sauce, because that's what makes it creamy.
Do mix the sauce with a bit of pasta water first. This helps make the sauce silky and creamy, and avoids the risk of grainy ricotta which can otherwise negatively impact the texture.
What to Do with Leftovers
This dish is best eaten fresh. I recommend not making more than you will finish. It's easy to make just 1 serving - just change the number of servings in the recipe card below.
If you know you will have leftovers- don't mix together all the sauce and pasta. Store the sauce (without adding pasta water!) separately from the pasta, and keep a bit of pasta water stored separately as well. When you want to enjoy your leftovers, refresh the pasta by adding it to boiling water for a few seconds, then drain, mix the sauce with pasta water, and then mix in with the pasta.
If you want to store leftovers you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
Freezing: I do not recommend freezing leftovers.
Reheating in microwave: Add a splash of water or a drizzle of olive oil, then reheat leftovers in the microwave in 30-second increments, stirring between each segment.
What to Serve With It
- Baked Lemon Pepper Salmon22 Minutes
- Air Fryer Ribeye Steak15 Minutes
- Firecracker Salmon45 Minutes
- Oven Baked Chicken Tenders [Oil & Dairy Free!]25 Minutes
More 15-Minute Dinner Recipes
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta12 Minutes
- Buffalo Shrimp10 Minutes
- Creamy Pesto Pasta10 Minutes
- Shrimp Carbonara10 Minutes
Recipe
10-Minute Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Print RateIngredients
- ½ lb fresh pasta or dried, but it takes longer to cook
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ⅓ cup shredded Pecorino cheese + more to serve; or parmesan cheese or a vegetarian substitute
- 1 small clove garlic minced or pressed
- 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- ½ lemon zest only; use organic or clean thoroughly before zesting
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or neutral cooking oil
- ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper + more to serve
- ⅓ cup pasta cooking water
- salt if needed
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to package instruction. While it's cooking, make the sauce.½ lb fresh pasta
- Place ricotta, Pecorino, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, olive oil and black pepper in a bowl and mix well.½ cup ricotta cheese, ⅓ cup shredded Pecorino cheese, 1 small clove garlic, 2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, ½ lemon, 1 tablespoon olive oil, ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- When the pasta is done, drain it and reserve some of the cooking water. Then place the pasta back in the pot
- Add a bit of pasta water to the sauce and mix until creamy, then add to the pasta together with some more pasta cooking water. Mix well until the pasta is well coated with sauce, adding more pasta cooking water if needed.⅓ cup pasta cooking water
- Taste test, and season with salt if needed. Served topped with extra pecorino cheese and fresh ground black pepper!salt
Equipment (may contain affiliate links)
- Measuring cups (metric or US)*
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.
Linda
I have not made this yet, but plan to. Your Spaghetti Aglio e Oleo was great so this is definitely worth a try.
migdalia
bangin
Katie Siepierski
This was really good! I doubled the recipe used Murray's whole milk ricotta, Private Selection Italian Farfalle (bronze cut, made with golden amber durum wheat semolina), and I used Asiago instead of pecorino or parmesan. I really enjoyed it! Such a delicious dish that is super quick and simple to make. I may add some grilled chicken to it next time, or some scallops would be super good with it, it'd pair well with salmon too. So good!
Emmeline Kemperyd
Yum! Scallops would be amazing with this, need to try that for myself!