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Creamy Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Arugula

A bright and fresh 15-minute pasta dish featuring a no-cook sauce made from creamy ricotta, lemon, parmesan, and olive oil, tossed with hot pasta and peppery arugula.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 22 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: Dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Calories: 580
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Pasta & Sauce Base
  • 1 lb rigatoni pasta or other short pasta
  • 1.5 cups whole milk ricotta cheese
  • 0.5 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated, plus more for serving
  • 2 lemons zested and juiced
  • 0.25 cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
  • 1 clove garlic grated or finely minced
Greens & Seasoning
  • 3 cups baby arugula packed
  • 1 tsp salt plus more for pasta water
  • 0.5 tsp black pepper freshly cracked
  • 0.5 tsp red pepper flakes optional, for garnish

Equipment

  • Large pot
  • Large mixing bowl
  • Whisk
  • Tongs
  • Microplane or zester

Method
 

  1. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions.
  2. While the pasta cooks, in a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, salt, and black pepper until combined.
  3. Before draining the pasta, reserve about 1 ½ cups of the starchy pasta cooking water.
  4. Drain the pasta and immediately add it to the bowl with the ricotta mixture along with ½ cup of the reserved pasta water.
  5. Toss vigorously with tongs until a creamy sauce forms and coats the pasta. Add more pasta water a splash at a time if needed to thin the sauce.
  6. Add the arugula and toss for another minute until it has slightly wilted.
  7. Serve immediately, topped with an extra drizzle of olive oil, red pepper flakes, and more parmesan cheese.

Notes

Use whole-milk ricotta for the best creamy texture. This dish does not reheat well and is best served fresh.