This lemon ricotta pasta with spinach is an easy, weeknight meal that comes together in less than 30 minutes! It's light, fresh, and super simple for a delicious vegetarian summer pasta.
This recipe is written for 16 ounces of pasta (1 package) which is 4 large servings or 8 small servings. But it's super easy to halve if you don't need as much.
Cook your pasta according to package directions. Make sure you heavily salt the water and cook the pasta for about 2 minutes less than the listed time for perfect al dente pasta!
Before draining, scoop out about 1 cup of the starchy pasta water and set aside. Then drain the pasta (but do NOT rinse it).
While the pasta is cooking, prep the sauce! In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, parmesan, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, and black pepper.
In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add in the sliced garlic and cook for about 5 minutes, until soft and aromatic.
Then stir in the ricotta sauce and fresh spinach and let cook for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce is heated through and the spinach is wilted.
Add the al dente pasta and ½ cup of the pasta water to the sauce and toss gently to combine for 1-2 minutes or until the sauce thickens up slightly and coats the noodles. If the sauce is too thick, add in a bit more pasta water as needed.
Since the pasta water is salty, I like to wait to salt the ricotta sauce until after I've added in the pasta water and noodles. Once the noodles are coated in the sauce, taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
Garnish with fresh basil and an extra sprinkle of parmesan cheese! Serve immediately.
Notes
This pasta is best eaten the same day, but will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.The pasta will soak up the sauce in the fridge, so it's best to gently reheat on the stove with a little cream or water to add more moisture.