EASY LEMON RICOTTA PASTA & SPINACH
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I love this zesty lemon ricotta pasta with spinach, it makes a delish weeknight meal ready in less than 15 minutes. Simple, fresh ingredients, delicious flavor, and minimal effort.
This no-cook sauce is one of my go-to recipes from when I was at uni and can be made in no time. Mix creamy ricotta, parmesan cheese, garlic, extra virgin olive oil, and refreshing lemon. Your pasta sauce is ready.
Easy peasy, economical, perfect for your carb cravings and so good.
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If you’re a big fan of lemons like me, you’ll love how their juice and zest transform a simple dish into something that tastes pure sunshine. And what about the creamy ricotta? I love it, especially when I used to buy fresh ricotta from the cheese counter in Italy (ahhh distant memories!)
To make this easy pasta dish healthier and more filling, don’t forget to add your greens. You could swap spinach for other delicious vegetables, or even protein like grilled chicken or salmon. The sky is the limit!
Watch how to make it
What ingredients you need
- Pasta
- Ricotta
- Parmesan cheese
- Baby spinach
- Lemon
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Garlic
- Salt and pepper
- Combine ricotta, parmesan, extra virgin olive oil, garlic, lemon zest, salt and pepper
- Mix well, taste and make sure you’re happy with the seasoning
- Meanwhile, cook your pasta until al dente
- Reserve some pasta cooking water
- Add spinach to the pot and cook for 1 minute
- Drain pasta and spinach and return to the pot
- Add the ricotta sauce, the cooking water, and stir well
- Serve with a drizzle of olive oil, freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and lemon wedges (optional)
- Enjoy… Buon appetito!
Recipe notes & tips
If you fancy fresh and creamy spaghetti ready in no time, inexpensive, and kids approved, this recipe is for you!
Plus, if you go for whole grain pasta you’ll get more natural fiber and micronutrients than white pasta. Whole-grain is the healthier option also when it comes to a bowl of spaghetti, and makes you feel fuller longer which is a great bonus. We love it and we consume it nearly on a regular basis.
HOW TO ADD SPINACH TO PASTA?
Blanched (quickly boiled) spinach works fine in this recipe, and cooking spinach and pasta all in one pot saves time and washing up. However, make sure not to overcook it, which will result in the loss of nutrients, flavor, and green color.
Recipe updated: originally posted in July 2019, I’ve tweaked the post adding more notes and new pictures.
SUBSTITUTIONS
What about adding a twist? This terrific recipe is so versatile, feel free to add more vegetables or even protein of your choice. Here are a few variations that taste delicious along with the lemon and ricotta combo.
Add them to the pot when you stir in the ricotta mixture.
- Sauteed or grilled vegetables: asparagus, peas, zucchini, artichokes
- Arugula, basil, chives
- Cherry tomatoes or chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- Grilled chicken
- Grilled or smoked salmon
MORE EASY PASTA DISHES READY IN 15 MINUTES OR LESS?
- Cream cheese pasta
- Spaghetti with garlic and olive oil
- Garlic mushroom spaghetti
- Marinara sauce with spaghetti
- Walnut sauce pasta
If you make this vibrant lemon ricotta pasta with spinach, leave a comment, rate it, or tag a photo #theclevermeal on Instagram.
I would love to hear from you!
Lemon ricotta pasta & spinach
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb (8oz/220 grams) pasta (spaghetti, linguine, penne, fusilli...)
- 1 cup (9oz/250 grams) whole-milk ricotta
- 8 oz (230 grams) fresh baby spinach, washed
- 1/3 cup (35 grams) grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra to serve
- 1 unwaxed lemon, zest and juice
- 3 lemon wedges, to serve (optional)
- 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 garlic clove, grated or pressed
- salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Meanwhile, make the ricotta sauce.
- In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon zest and juice. Season with 1/4 tsp of salt and a good pinch of pepper.
- Stir until well combined, taste and make sure you're happy with the seasoning.
- In the last minute of the pasta's cooking time, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then and add spinach to the pot. Stir well and push the leaves down to submerge them in water.
- After 1 minute, drain and return pasta and spinach to the same pot.
- Add the ricotta sauce and part of the reserved cooking water. Stir well to evenly coat the pasta in the sauce, add more cooking water as needed, you want a smooth and creamy texture.
- Serve immediately and garnish with grated or shaved Parmesan cheese, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and lemon wedges if desired (for extra freshly squeezed juice, but I leave it optional). Plus, I love adding a good pinch of red pepper flakes, you might give it a go. Enjoy!
It’s so fresh and light tasting I love it so much one of my favorite recipes for pasta. Sometimes I like to add black garlic for a twist! 🙂
I’m so happy to hear that!! Thanks so much for your lovely feedback, Liliana! x
Awesome recipe! I added halved cherry tomatoes with the spinach for the last minute as well as capers and extra lemon to serve! Absolutely delish!
Wow, that sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing your great feedback, Mary. x
Hi – can I add cooked bacon?
Hey Dianne! If you like it, why not? : )
We loved it! Made it exactly as written and wow delicious! Will be making it again and looks like I will also be playing with it. Thank you !
You’re wecome, Molly! What a wonderful feedbackj, thanks so much for it. x
Made this tonight. Sautéed the spinach in olive oil and some minced garlic in a large frying pan. Once the pasta was cooked (I used fresh) I added to the large frying pan that the spinach was in and then added the ricotta mixture! Perfect!!!
That’s great, Nancy! I’m so pleased you loved the recipe. Thanks for sharing. x
Wonderful flavor, but a hassle dealing with the spinach. Then I got a brainstorem: use frozen spinach.
Wonderful!! I’m so glad the recipe worked well with frozen spinach and you loved it! Thanks so much, Dolores. x
So good and easy! Reserved one cup of pasta water, sauteed 4 cloves of garlic with the spinach, and then added some nutmeg, basil, and about a tsp of dijon to the sauce before combining. Not as heavy as I expected, but incredibly filling!
Wonderful feedback, thanks so much for sharing! x
I added cooked shrimp and a bit of freshly made pesto to the sauce- delicious!
That sounds delicious, Becki. Thanks for sharing. x
Absolutely loved it. And used really tiny pasta cos hubby back from dentist and suffering, so needed something he didn’t need to chew. And he absolutely loved it, as I did too. Was a bit wary using the very small pasta, as advice had been not to, but turned out really good!
That’s wonderful! I usually love spaghetti or chunky pasta shapes when the pasta sauces are rich and creamy, but I’m glad it turned out so delicious anyway and you guys loved it. Thanks for sharing. x
As long as you put enough black pepper in… this is gold! Nothing missing at all… easy to throw together with some leftovers 🙂
Wonderful feedback, Maddy! Thanks so much for sharing. x
I made this dish as a meatless main dinner. It cooked up as promised. We found the recipe OK…but felt it lacked something. I made it with about half the lemon called for, and was glad – the full amount would have been too much for us, but I can see where other people would like that extra tang. If I make this again, it will be a side dish along with a flavorful protein.
Thanks for your feedback! x
Can you use linguine?
Of course. x
This was so good and easy. A great way to mix it up with pasta lemon and ricotta. I added zucchini and green peppers I had left over from the garden. Yum. Thanks for the recipe
You’re welcome, Jim. I’m so pleased you enjoyed this recipe. thanks for your feedback. x
Absolutely love this recipe.
Easy to make and the family came looking for more.
I used cream cheese as one family member hates ricotta.
Can’t wait to have it again
Thanks so much for sharing your wonderful feedback, Susan! That’s so appreciated. : )
First, I suggest putting the ricotta in a food processor. Whirl about 30 seconds. Add other sauce ingredients. Whirl about 10 seconds. (For good measure, make 1 1/2 amt of sauce.) Warm on stove, covered, on low heat, in large pan.
Cook pasta. Save 1/4 c salted pasta water. Add pasta to pan. Stir well over low heat. If happy with sauce, serve. If not, add 1 T pasta water at a time, stirring, until you’re happy.
Thanks for sharing your rating and tips, Lynn. x