This lemon ricotta pasta is the perfect dinner when you're craving restaurant-worthy pasta without going out! Topped with crispy, savory walnut breadcrumbs, and garlic chili oil to make it a gourmet-like meal.
Sometimes you want to eat delicious pasta different from your typical red sauce pasta. And anything ricotta cheese with pasta is creamy, dreamy, and delicious. Whether it be a spicy classic spaghetti arrabbiata or this lemon ricotta pasta, they’re all delicious.
Why You’ll Love This Pasta
It’s easy to make. You don't have to cook the sauce. Just mix it in a bowl and add it to the pasta.
Tastes fancy. Not only is the sauce so creamy and delicious, but the crispy walnut crumble makes this pasta even more delicious. Pasta with ricotta is delicious but pasta with walnuts is even more amazing!
Vegetarian. Makes a great weeknight dinner for a meatless Monday! Use a vegetarian parmesan cheese as most contain animal rennet.
Can be vegan. Use a vegan ricotta and vegan parmesan for a vegan version of lemon ricotta pasta. It tastes wonderful!
Ingredients for Ricotta Pasta
For the Lemon Ricotta Pasta:
- Pasta. I love using rigatoni for my fancy pasta nights. It has a restaurant feel with it and I love the texture it gives. Roasted veggie pasta. Vegan Alfredo pasta. Save some of the pasta water!
- Ricotta. I used whole-fat ricotta for this recipe. I have made this with part skim and it still turned out well.
- Lemon zest. Use a whole lemon zest in this. Trust me.
- Asparagus. This is one of my favorite vegetables to use is pasta. Asparagus is high in fiber and vitamins which makes it a perfect addition to a meal.
- Garlic. I use fresh garlic and grate this into the ricotta.
For the Walnut Crunch Topping (Walnut Breadcrumbs):
This walnut crunch was inspired by Rainbow Plant Life's recipe in her Big Vegan Flavor Cookbook! (Not sponsored but just LOVE her cookbook. However, it is an Amazon affiliate link.)
- Walnuts. Walnuts are high in omega-3 fatty acids which help with lowering cholesterol and benefit heart health. If you have a nut allergy, you can use sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds. If you want to change it up, pecans, almonds, or pistachios are great options as well!
- Panko Breadcrumbs. I will now only make crispy toppings with breadcrumbs, which gives the BEST crunch. Pasta with breadcrumbs is the perfect crunch to your basic dish.
- Aleppo pepper. I recently discovered the Spice Affair's Aleppo Pepper and it has seriously become my new favorite spice. I have been adding it to everything for a little kick. Originally from Syria, this pepper has fruity undertones with a hint of tang and a slight cumin taste. If you don't have this near you, you can use red pepper flakes or paprika.
- Garlic Powder. I use powder instead of fresh garlic so it remains shelf-stable.
- Fresh Black Pepper. This adds a perfect balance of spice to the topping.
- Nutritional Yeast. Did you know nutritional yeast is great for vegans as it has B12 which many vegans don't consume due to the lack of animal products? I love adding it to many of my dishes, especially tofu. For this crunch, nutritional yeast gives it the perfect "parmesan"-like flavor while adding a crunch.
- Olive Oil. Since you cook this walnut topping at low heat, olive oil is perfect for cooking this topping to a crunch.
How to Make Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Make the walnut breadcrumbs. Pulse the walnuts in the food processor until crumbly, taking care not to get them pasty-you don't want walnut butter! If you want them to be larger pieces, you can hand-chop them. At a low to medium-low heat, toast walnuts in a pan being careful not to burn them. I toast for about 4 minutes then add the sea salt, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, black pepper, Aleppo pepper, and bread crumbs. The bread crumbs cook quickly so keep stirring well and turn off heat once you start to see them turn a light golden brown. Set aside to cool.
Cook pasta and asparagus. Cook the pasta according to the instructions (salt the pasta water generously!). At the last 3-4 minutes of the pasta cooking time, add the cut asparagus (I like to set a timer for the perfect pasta). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta. Place pasta back in the pot.
Make the lemon ricotta pasta sauce. While the pasta is cooking, add ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, black pepper, and sea salt in a small bowl and set aside. Once the pasta is done cooking, add ½ cup of pasta water. mix into the drained pasta.
Serve. Sprinkle the walnut topping on your pasta dish and enjoy! You can add basil leaves or a drizzle of garlic chili oil on top.
Tips and Variations
Make it Vegan. Since this recipe doesn't include parmesan, a simple swap to make it vegan is to use your favorite vegan ricotta.
Make it Gluten-Free. Use your favorite gluten-free pasta and gluten-free panko bread crumbs.
Reheating the Sauce. When reheating the sauce, I like to add a little of the extra reserved pasta water. You can also add milk (or vegetable broth to keep it vegan) when reheating it.
To Prep Ahead. Make the walnut crumble ahead of time. You can also have the lemon zested and the asparagus cut so all you have to do is cook the pasta and put it together!
Storage
Store for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge. I recommend saucing only the pasta you’ll be using immediately and saving the sauce and pasta separately. However, if you've already sauced the entire dish, you can store it the same way, you'll just need a bit of extra liquid (milk, vegetable broth, or water) to loosen the sauce and make it creamy again! I also recommend saving any extra walnut topping separately to use for salads and other pastas as a flavor booster. This will last in the fridge for 2-3 months in an air-tight jar. You can store it at room temperature for about 1 month. I like to store mine in glass mason jars with an airtight lid.
If you loved this Lemon Ricotta Pasta recipe, let me know in the comments below! I’d love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest! Subscribe to my weekly emails so you never miss a new recipe!
📖 Recipe
Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 cup ricotta
- ½ lb pasta, 8 oz
- ½ lb asparagus, about 2 heaping cups
- Lemon zest, 1 medium lemon + 1 tablespoon juice of unwaxed lemon
- 2 cloves garlic, grated
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
Walnut topping:
- 1 cup raw walnuts
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup panko bread crumbs
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 2 teaspoons Aleppo pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
- ¼ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Make the walnut breadcrumbs. Pulse the walnuts in the food processor until crumbly, taking care not to get them pasty-you don't want walnut butter! If you want larger pieces, you can hand-chop them. At low to medium-low heat, toast the walnuts in a pan, being careful not to burn them. I toast them for about 4 minutes, then add the sea salt, garlic powder, nutritional yeast, black pepper, Aleppo pepper, and breadcrumbs. The breadcrumbs cook quickly, so keep stirring well and turn off the heat once you start to see them turn a light golden brown. Set aside to cool.
- Cook pasta and asparagus. Cook the pasta according to the instructions (salt the pasta water generously!). In the last 3-4 minutes of the pasta cooking time, add the cut asparagus (I like to set a timer for the perfect pasta). Reserve 1 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta. Place the pasta back in the pot.
- Make the lemon ricotta pasta sauce. While the pasta is cooking, add ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, black pepper, and sea salt to a small bowl and set aside. Once the pasta is done cooking, add ½ cup of pasta water and mix into the drained pasta.
- Serve. Sprinkle the walnut topping on your pasta dish and enjoy! You can add basil leaves or a drizzle of garlic chili oil on top.
Notes
Nutrition Info
Comments
No Comments