Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Spinach and Red Peppers
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If you enjoy simple and light pasta dishes, then you will love this Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Spinach and Red Peppers! Lemony, creamy, light… The red peppers give a delightful crunch and the beautiful bits of green spinach add such gorgeous color to the dish, it’s hard to resist!
Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Spinach and Red Peppers
My neighbor gave me several Meyer lemons from her mother’s lemon tree as a thank-you for taking their family portrait last month. (So in addition to this Lemon Ricotta Pasta recipe, prepare yourself for a few more lemon recipes over the next couple of weeks.)
These lemons were fabulous- they were a bit hard to zest, but they had so much juice in a single lemon!
Easy Lemon Ricotta Pasta Recipe
I love light pasta dishes, and the combination of lemon and ricotta in this Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Spinach and Red Peppers was soo good!
The pasta dish was simple and tasted so fresh and light. Look how creamy the pasta looks! This was with only 2/3 cup of Ricotta and the pasta water—yum! (It was also so pretty with the bright red peppers and just barely wilted spinach.)
Why you’ll love This Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Ingredients And Tips For Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Spinach and Red Peppers
(Ingredients at a glance, find the full recipe with ingredient amounts in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.)
- Fettuccine: I used fettuccine but you can use any type of pasta you prefer.
- Ricotta cheese: Ricotta adds a nice and creamy texture. You can use low fat if you like.
- Lemon juice: Fresh lemon juice is best. Depending on the type of lemons you are using you may need to adjust the amount.
- Lemon rind: Lemon rind really ups the lemon flavor.
- Salt and crushed black pepper: Add to taste, of course.
- Crushed red pepper: Increase to your taste level- this makes the dish pop!
- Olive oil: Extra virgin olive oil is best but any type will work.
- Garlic: Use freshly minced cloves for the best flavor.
- Red bell pepper: Add diced red bell peppers for a touch of color and some crunch.
- Baby spinach: I like fresh baby spinach as it wilts easily.
How To Make
1Cook pasta: Prepare and drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
2Combine. While pasta is cooking, combine ricotta, lemon juice, lemon rind, seasonings and spices.
3Saute.Heat oil in a large skillet and add bell pepper and garlic.
4Combine.Add pasta, ricotta mixture, and reserved pasta water to skillet. Stir until combined, and then add spinach; cook for about 1 minute or until spinach wilts.
Recipe Tips
- Salt your pasta water to add more flavor to the noodles.
- Cook the pasta al dente so it’s nice and firm. There’s nothing worse than soft and soggy pasta.
- Keep some pasta water to help thicken the sauce. If you forget and toss the water, mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with a cup of water, heat it until it’s hot, and use it instead.
- Opt for fresh lemon juice to get a really fresh and bright flavor.
- Don’t skip the red pepper flakes; they make this dish pop.
Recipe Tips
Variations
- If you don’t like red peppers or spinach, you could try: peas, asparagus, fresh zucchini, snap peas, cherry tomatoes, tofu or chicken.
- Substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta or use a combination of both.
- For a super rich and creamy dish use mascarpone cheese.
- Sprinkle with fresh parmesan for more cheesiness.
- Change up the pasta and try penne, gemelli or farfalle.
Storage Suggestions
- Leftover pasta will keep in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or over the stove. If the sauce is very thick you can add some water to thin it out or stir in more ricotta cheese.
- If you want to freeze leftovers, freeze the sauce and pasta separately. Frozen pasta does have a tendency to change texture so consider using leftover pasta in a different dish and boil fresh pasta when you want to use the leftover ricotta mixture.
FAQs
Is this fettuccine pasta spicy?
Even though this pasta recipe has red pepper flakes, it is not very spicy. You can add as much or as little as you like, a touch at a time until you reach your preferred spice level.
What pasta works best for this dish?
I love how the finished dish looked with the fettuccine noodles, but any pasta with a lot of sauce would work great. A few good examples are:
- Penne
- Gemelli
- Farfalle
- Fettuccine
Recently, I have been using the Barilla Protein + pasta in all my pasta dishes to get a bit more protein in my diet. Since they don’t have fettuccini noodles, I use farfalle.
Can I use store-bought lemon juice instead of fresh lemon juice?
Fresh lemon juice is highly recommended for the best flavor, but if you must use store-bought lemon juice, you may need to adjust the amount to taste.
Is this fettuccine with ricotta loaded with calories?
No, that’s what’s great about using ricotta cheese and the water from the boiled pasta. It adds a nice creaminess without adding as many calories as you’d get if you added heavy cream.
Can I add protein to this dish?
Of course! The easiest way would be to add chicken, sausage, or shrimp. Other ways to kick up the protein level would be to use blended cottage cheese instead of ricotta or a protein pasta.
More lemon-based recipe you might enjoy:
- Microwave Blueberry Lemon Mug Cake for Two
- Lemon Mousse w/ Strawberries
- Lemon Cheesecake Pie Recipe
- Homemade Lemon Curd Recipe
- Creamy Lemon Chicken Pasta
Did You Make This Lemon Ricotta Pasta Recipe?
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Print
Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Spinach and Red Peppers
- Prep Time: 3
- Cook Time: 17
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 1x
- Category: main dish
- Method: skillet
Description
If you enjoy simple and light pasta dishes, then you will love this Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Spinach and Red Peppers!
Ingredients
- 12 oz fettuccine
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 2 tbs fresh lemon juice (you might need more depending on what kind of lemon juice you are using, just give it a taste.)
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind
- plenty of salt and crushed black pepper (to taste, of course)
- 1/8 tsp crushed red pepper (increase to your taste level- this makes the dish pop!)
- 1 tbs olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cups diced red bell pepper
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions, using the recommended amount of salt in the water. Drain pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water.
- While pasta is cooking, in a separate bowl, thoroughly combine ricotta, lemon juice and rind, 1/4 teaspoon salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper. (I listed 1/8 tsp of crushed red pepper, but don’t be shy, this dish is even better with a bit of a kick from the red pepper, so adjust according to your taste level ).
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and garlic, saute for 3 minutes.
- Add pasta, ricotta mixture and 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water to skillet. Stir until combined, adding additional pasta water as needed to achieve desired creaminess.
- Add Spinach, cook about 1 minute or until spinach wilts. Top with extra salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper if desired.
- Enjoy!
Looking for more Quick and easy dishes? Check out these skillet recipes made in 30 minutes or less:
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