Pesto Ricotta Pasta

This pesto ricotta pasta is fast, easy, and perfect for busy weeknights. It's made with an easy homemade pesto and high-protein ricotta cheese and comes together in less than 30 minutes.

Key Ingredients and Substitutions

Short cut pasta: We use penne or fusilli. Any short-cut pasta works—use your favorite or whatever you have on hand. This is meant to be a no-fuss recipe.

Whole milk ricotta cheese: The ricotta cheese adds just the right amount of creaminess to this pasta without making it too heavy. It adds some protein, too, especially since this recipe doesn't include any meat.

For the pesto: We make our own pesto for this recipe, but you can substitute your favorite store-bought pesto if you want to take a shortcut. For our pesto, you'll need spinach, fresh basil, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, almond butter (or sunflower butter), salt and pepper, and crushed red pepper.

See recipe card for amounts and full ingredient list.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Cook pasta according to package instructions.

Step 2: Add all of the pesto ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Then add the ricotta to the pesto and blend again until combined and smooth.

Step 3: Mix the pesto mixture into the cooked, drained pasta and mix to combine. Serve immediately topped with freshly grated parmesan.

📖 Recipe

Pesto Ricotta Pasta

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5 from 1 review

• Author: Mollie
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings 1x

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Description

This pesto ricotta pasta is fast, easy, and perfect for busy weeknights. It's made with homemade easy pesto and high-protein ricotta cheese and comes together in less than 30 minutes.

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Ingredients

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1 pound of short-cut pasta, such as fusilli, penne, or rigatoni

½ cup whole milk ricotta

For the pesto:

4 cups spinach

½ cup fresh basil, packed into a measuring cup

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

6 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoons almond butter

1 teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper

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Instructions

1. Cook pasta according to package instructions.
2. Add all of the pesto ingredients to a food processor and blend until smooth. Then add the ricotta to the pesto and blend again until combined and smooth. 
3. Mix the pesto mixture into the cooked, drained pasta and mix to combine. Serve immediately topped with freshly grated parmesan.  

Notes

To use store-bought pesto, follow the same directions, but add 1.5 cups of store-bought pesto to a food processor and blend with the ricotta.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Category: Dinner
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: Italian

Nutrition

• Serving Size: ⅙th of recipe
• Calories: 481
• Sugar: 2.6 g
• Sodium: 232.6 mg
• Fat: 20.9 g
• Carbohydrates: 60.5 g
• Protein: 14.2 g
• Cholesterol: 10.5 mg