Creamy, herby, and delicious, this pesto ricotta pasta is the ultimate comfort meal. It comes together in less than 20 minutes with just 7 simple ingredients that includes salt, pepper, and olive oil. The fresh basil pesto in the sauce swirls with smooth creamy ricotta cheese to coat every strand in a velvety, flavorful sauce, making this simple dish irresistible.
This quick and easy ricotta pesto pasta is another fuss-free recipe I’m sharing on this blog for busy days. Like many other recipes here, it gets ready in just 20 minutes with minimal effort. Its my new favorite pasta recipe for summer months.
To make this weeknight dinner you just need to make a simple sauce in a blender and then toss it with cooked pasta. But the final dish is rich, indulgent, and very satisfying.
It's a great weeknight meal that your whole family will enjoy.
Jump to:
- What's needed to make pesto ricotta pasta?
- Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions
- How to make (step by step process)?
- How to serve ricotta pasta?
- Storing and reheating
- Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions
- Frequently asked questions
- More easy vegetarian pasta recipes
- More quick dinner recipes for busy weeknights
- Recipe
What's needed to make pesto ricotta pasta?
To make this pasta dish, you need the ingredients shown below:
Ingredient notes and substitute suggestions
- Pasta: Feel free to use any pasta of choice. Short, medium, or long cut pasta, all are fine.
- Ricotta cheese: Use full fat ricotta cheese (whole milk ricotta cheese) for a creamier sauce.
- Pesto: Homemade or store bought pesto, both are fine. Store-bought pesto is made with parmesan cheese which has animal rennet in it, so if you are a vegetarian, make sure to use vegetarian pesto. You can also use my easy vegan homemade pesto sauce recipe to make pesto for this recipe.
- Lemon: Both fresh lemon juice and lemon zest are used in the sauce to add a refreshing taste to it.
- Seasonings: Pesto ricotta pasta tastes the best with a simple seasoning of salt and pepper. If you want, you can add more seasonings or fresh herbs of choice to add more flavor.
- Olive oil: Use good quality extra virgin olive oil for better flavor.
Other ingredient details and nutritional information are shared in the recipe card
How to make (step by step process)?
To make pesto ricotta pasta, follow the easy step by step instructions shared below:
Step 1: Put pesto, ricotta cheese, finely chopped lemon peel, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper into a blending jar or food processor.
Step 2: Blend to make a smooth sauce.
Step 3: Cook pasta al dente, strain, and transfer to a bowl. Reserve a cup of pasta water before straining. Pour pesto ricotta sauce on top of strained pasta.
Step 4: Gently toss. Sprinkle some crushed pepper and drizzle olive oil on top.
Your quick and easy pesto pasta with ricotta cheese is ready to be served.
How to serve ricotta pasta?
Pesto ricotta pasta is best served warm and freshly tossed in the sauce so the sauce stays creamy and aromatic.
Drizzle extra virgin olive, lemon zest, and fresh lemon juice before serving. You can also sprinkle freshly ground black pepper, add toasted pine nuts, garnish with fresh basil leaves.
To create a delicious meal with this dish pair it with a side dish like garlic bread, crispy garlic cheese toast, roasted vegetables, or a simple green salad.
Storing and reheating
To store, let the pasta reach room temperature then transfer to an airtight container. It will be fine in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
If possible, store cooked pasta and sauce separately and toss just before serving.
Don't freeze ricotta pasta as the ricotta cheese will turn grainy.
To reheat, add a splash of water or milk and microwave for 1-2 minutes or until evenly heated. Keep stirring in between.
Drizzle olive oil or add more pesto after reheating for adding a fresh flavor.
Recipe tips, tricks, and variation suggestions
- Cook pasta al dente following the package instructions. Overcooked pasta spoils the dish.
- Both homemade and store bought pesto are fine to be used in this recipe.
- Toss the pasta with pesto and ricotta after removing it from direct heat. High heat can make ricotta grainy and dull the fresh basil flavor.
- You may add some red pepper flakes to the sauce to add a little kick.
- Add salt carefully as pesto also has salt in it.
- Always reserve pasta water when straining cooked pasta. Use this starchy pasta water or milk to adjust the consistency of the pasta sauce.
- Instead of ricotta cheese cream cheese or cottage cheese can also be used in this recipe.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, sundried tomato pesto can also be used to make this dish.
Yes, generally ricotta cheese is vegetarian as plant based acid is used to make it instead of animal rennet.
More easy vegetarian pasta recipes
Pasta lovers looking for more quick and easy vegetarian pasta recipes, don't miss to check out the following links:
More quick dinner recipes for busy weeknights
If you enjoyed this pesto ricotta pasta recipe and looking for more quick meal recipes for busy days then the following links are worth trying out:
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Recipe
Pesto ricotta pasta
Equipment
- 1 Large cooking pot
- 1 stand blender or food processor
- 1 Spatula
- 1 large bowl
- Lemon peeler/ regular peeler/sharp knife
Ingredients
- 350 grams uncooked pasta of choice
- 1 cup pesto
- 1.25 cups ricotta cheese around 250 grams
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- Peel of 1 large lemon very finely chopped
- Ground black pepper to taste
- Salt to taste
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Boil water with some salt in a large pot. Add pasta and cook al dente following the package instructions.
- Put pesto, ricotta cheese, finely chopped lemon peel, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper into a blending jar or food processor. Blend to make a smooth sauce. If the sauce is too thick add some pasta water or milk to adjust the consistency.
- Transfer some sauce to a large bowl, add cooked pasta, and pour the remaining sauce on top.
- Gently toss until the sauce evenly coats the pasta.
- Sprinkle some crushed pepper and drizzle olive oil on top.
Notes
- Cook pasta al dente following the package instructions. Overcooked pasta spoils the dish.
- Both homemade and store bought pesto are fine to be used in this recipe.
- Toss the pasta with pesto and ricotta after removing it from direct heat. High heat can make ricotta grainy and dull the fresh basil flavor.
- You may add some red pepper flakes to the sauce to add a little kick.
- Add salt carefully as pesto also has salt in it.
- Always reserve pasta water when straining cooked pasta. Use this starchy pasta water or milk to adjust the consistency of the pasta sauce.
- Instead of ricotta cheese cream cheese or cottage cheese can also be used in this recipe.
- More recipe tips and tricks are shared in the post above, please follow them to make this recipe.
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