Pea Ricotta Pasta with Mint (Printable Version)

A fresh, creamy pasta blending sweet peas, ricotta, lemon zest, and fragrant mint for a light meal.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz short pasta such as penne, fusilli, or orecchiette
02 - Salt for pasta water

→ Vegetables

03 - 1 2/3 cups fresh or frozen peas
04 - 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
05 - Zest of 1 unwaxed lemon

→ Dairy

06 - 1 cup ricotta cheese
07 - 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for serving

→ Herbs & Seasonings

08 - 3 tablespoons fresh mint leaves, finely chopped
09 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
10 - Freshly ground black pepper to taste

# How to Make It:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the cooking water, then drain the pasta.
02 - While the pasta cooks, heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add the peas and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, slightly longer if using frozen peas, until bright and just tender.
04 - Add the drained pasta to the pan with the peas. Toss to combine.
05 - Remove from the heat. Stir in the ricotta, lemon zest, Parmesan, and half of the chopped mint. Add enough reserved pasta water to create a creamy sauce that coats the pasta.
06 - Season with salt and plenty of black pepper. Divide among plates and sprinkle with the remaining mint and extra Parmesan.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It comes together in 25 minutes, which means you can have something elegant on the table before you've even thought about what's for dinner.
  • The ricotta melts into a silky sauce without any cream, making it feel indulgent but genuinely light.
  • Fresh mint transforms a simple pasta into something that tastes like you spent hours on it, when really you didn't.
02 -
  • Never stir the ricotta directly into hot pasta off the heat; remove the pan from the stove first, or the heat will scramble the cheese into grainy bits instead of creating a smooth sauce.
  • The pasta water is not optional, it's the entire point; that starch transforms everything into something silky and cohesive instead of just ricotta clumps and pasta.
03 -
  • Let your ricotta sit on the counter for five minutes before cooking if it's come straight from the fridge; cold ricotta is harder to incorporate smoothly into the sauce.
  • The moment you see the ricotta begin to stir into the pasta water, you'll understand why people swear by this technique; it's almost theatrical how quickly it transforms into something silky.
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