This spinach and ricotta pasta is a delicious, creamy, and light pasta dish, perfect for weeknight or date night. A quick pasta with ricotta and spinach recipe with a hint of lemon you and your family would love, it is an alternative to fresh spinach and ricotta tortellini or ravioli. It is simple, yet packed full of flavor. Let me show you how to make it in easy steps.
Love pasta? Why not try my creamy cajun chicken pasta, pink sauce pasta, or vegetable pasta bake?
Spinach and ricotta pasta recipe
I love all things pasta especially when it uses a handful of ingredients and is quick to make. Today's recipe is so simple to make and sinfully creamy, one would think tossing pasta in ricotta could end up dry, not this one, the addition of milk and pasta water helps to emulsify the ricotta. You would not believe how good this is.
The spinach complements the creamy ricotta, also, adding a pop of color and freshness. Moreover, it is a great way to use up your leftover fresh spinach from the other day. That said, you can use frozen spinach for this recipe too.
So, if you love spinach, pasta, or ricotta then this recipe will be up your alley. It is a simple process of sauteing some garlic, onion, adding some spinach, cooking your pasta, tossing everything together with the creamy ricotta and parmesan cheese sauce.
I also added a little bit of lemon zest and juice to give it that extra freshness. You can add chicken, salmon, or just have this on its own! If you are vegetarian or vegan, I have added some tips and variations at the bottom of the post.
Spinach and ricotta pasta ingredients
Pasta: I used linguine but any type of pasta would work.
Ricotta cheese: Make sure you are using full-fat fresh ricotta, it is readily available in stores.
Fresh baby spinach, substitute with frozen spinach but make sure it is thawed and drained.
Parmesan cheese: freshly grated
Milk
Dried jalapeno
Onion
Garlic
Butter
Herb de Provence: substitute with Italian seasoning
Lemon juice and lemon zest
Salt and black pepper
How to make spinach and ricotta pasta
Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve some pasta water, drain the pasta, and set aside
In the meantime, while the pasta is cooking, make the creamy ricotta sauce.
To a large bowl add milk, ricotta, parmesan cheese, and whisk until combined.
Melt butter over medium-high heat, add chopped onions and garlic, and saute until soft and fragrant say a minute or two. Add fresh spinach leaves, and cook just until wilted, this shouldn't be more than 2 minutes.
Pour the creamy ricotta sauce into the sauteed spinach, stir to combine. Add herb de Provence, lemon zest, chili flakes, and season with salt and black pepper, stir to combine.
Toss cooked pasta into the sauce to combine, add pasta water if need be. Check for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
Take it off the heat and serve immediately with protein or vegetables of choice.
Watch how to make it
How to store
Fridge: this pasta dish is best served on the same day. If there are any leftovers, store it in an airtight container and refrigerate them for up to 3 days. However, it does not freeze well due to the dairy content of this dish.
To reheat: you can reheat this pasta on the stovetop or in the microwave. You may need to add a little milk or water to loosen it up.
Tips and variations
- Add shredded or diced cooked chicken to the pasta for a complete meal, you can also add cooked shrimps or salmon.
- If you want to make this vegan, you can omit the cheese and use dairy-free milk and vegan ricotta.
- Add more color and flavor to the dish, you can add sundried tomatoes, red bell pepper, or green peas.
More pasta recipes you will love
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Spinach And Ricotta Pasta
Ingredients
- 300 g linguine any type of pasta would work.
- 250 g full fat ricotta cheese
- 40 g butter
- 250 g fresh baby spinach substitute with 2 cups thawed and drained frozen spinach
- 1 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated off the block, about 30g
- ¾ cup milk
- ½ Tablespoon Herbs de provence
- ½ teaspoon dried jalapeno omit if you prefer
- ⅓ cup onion finely chopped
- 1 Tablespoon garlic finely chopped
- 2 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice and zest of 1 lemon zest the lemon first before extracting the juice
- Salt and black pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. Reserve some pasta water, Drain the pasta and set aside
- In the meantime, while the pasta is cooking, make the creamy ricotta sauce.
- To a large bowl add milk, ricotta, parmesan cheese, and whisk until combined then set aside.
- Melt butter over medium high heat, add chopped onions and garlic and saute until soft and fragrant say a minute or two. Add fresh spinach leaves, and cook just until wilted, this shouldn't be more than 2 minutes.
- Pour the creamy sauce into the sauteed spinach, stir to combine. Add herbs de Provence, lemon zest, chili flakes, and season with salt and black pepper, stir to combine. Reduce the heat and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Toss cooked and drained pasta into the sauce to combine, add pasta water if need be. Add lemon juice, check for seasoning and adjust accordingly.
- Take it off the heat and serve immediately with protein or vegetables of choice.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional data: Please note that the nutrition label provided is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients and brands you use. Under no circumstances will thedinnerbite.com be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on nutritional information.
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