Spring Fettuccine with Herbed Ricotta
Before this particular weeknight evening when I found a half-used container in my fridge from the prior week’s baked pastas, I had never used ricotta as the base for a simple sauce. When spring comes along, I rarely want to eat pasta at all—or anything that requires me to stand over a hot stove. The beauty of using this ricotta mixture is that, unlike cream sauces using actual cream, you don’t have to stand around while it reduces. Simply dress your fettuccine with the herby cheese, add a little pasta water to thin, toss to coat, and you have the perfect weeknight pasta, no sweat.
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 scallions, sliced
2 small shallots, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tbsp basil, chopped
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup bread crumbs, toasted
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta according to the package directions until al dente. Reserve 1/4 cup of cooking water, drain and set aside.
In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, herbs, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and a 1/4 cup of parmesan. Use some of the cooking water as needed to thin the mixture.
In the meantime, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the shallots until translucent and tender. Add the garlic and cook for an additional minute or two. Add the drained pasta to the pan and toss with the ricotta herb mixture until fully coated.
