Me, when reviewing my posts so far: Wait, have I really not put up a pasta recipe yet? How could that be? I must rectify this immediately. I love pasta, and when it’s cold outside I crave bubbling cheesy pasta bakes as comfort food. Now though, I want something simple and fresh, and even better if it can be tossed together in 30 minutes or so. Dorie Greenspan has a recipe she calls “Ricotta Spoonable,” which is essentially just a bowl of ricotta mixed with some onions and lots of herbs, with infinite possibilities. She presents it as an appetizer dip, but also suggests using it to form a tartine for lunch, or mixed into pasta for dinner. Topping a bowl of noodles with heaps of fluffy ricotta has been sort of a go-to move of mine for awhile now, so enhancing it with extra flavor seemed like an obvious upgrade I had to try. Her original recipe is delicious, and spread on toasted Italian bread it is a snack that is sure to spoil dinner. The herbed ricotta I use here has fewer ingredients, but the idea is the same. It makes a little more than you will need for the pasta, so you can explore some of it’s other uses. Let me know if you try something that I haven’t mentioned here!

This meal should be a bit of a farmer’s market throw-together (or fridge raid) so feel free to play around a bit with substitutions. Many different combinations of herbs and vegetables will work well. You can try oregano and cherry tomatoes, scallions and greens, etc. The only cook is a quick saute in olive oil, so you’re just looking for fresh, seasonal produce that doesn’t need to be transformed to taste good.

Summer Vegetable Pasta with Herbed Ricotta

Recipe by Too Many SpoonsCourse: DinnerCuisine: Pasta

Servings

servings

Cost

Total time

minutes

Check your pasta cooking time before starting. I used rotini, which took 10 minutes, exactly the amount of time needed to cook the vegetables. If the shape you chose takes less time, then start cooking the vegetables a few minutes before you start the pasta. (If it takes more time, don’t worry about it. The cooked vegetables can sit for a few minutes on low heat while the pasta finishes).

If you have extra ricotta, spread it on some toasty bread, or roll it into an omelet tomorrow morning.

Ingredients

2 cups whole milk ricotta
1 Tbsp plus 1/4 cup olive oil, divided
1 tsp lemon zest
1 Tbsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley
2 Tbsp finely chopped basil
1/2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
1/4 tsp pepper, plus more to taste
1 lb small pasta shape, such as rotini, shells, or orecchiette
2 leeks
2 zucchini
3 ears corn

Directions

Make the herbed ricotta: In a medium bowl, stir together the ricotta, 1 Tbsp olive oil, lemon zest and juice, parsley, basil, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper. Set aside.
Put a large pot of salted water on to boil. Heat remaining 1/4 cup olive oil in a deep saute pan over medium-high.
Cut the leeks in half lengthwise, then thinly slice. Cut the zucchini in quarters lengthwise, then thinly slice. Cut the corn kernels off the cobs. Put each vegetable in a separate bowl.
Add the pasta to the boiling water. Then add the leeks to the saute pan, and cook until softened and just starting to brown at the edges, about 4 minutes.
Add the zucchini to the pan, toss, and cook 3 minutes, until just starting to soften. Add the corn, stir well, and continue cooking about 3 more minutes, until everything is tender. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and season with salt and pepper.
When the pasta is just cooked, add it to the saute pan along with 1 cup of the pasta cooking water. You want the water to combine with the cooking oil to form a light sauce. Stir constantly until emulsified. The noodles will appear glossy, and you will no longer see water on the bottom of the pan. Don’t rush this, and don’t stop stirring-it takes about 5 minutes to properly come together.
Stir 1/2 cup of the herbed ricotta into the pasta, until the noodles are lightly coated. Serve in low bowls, and top with extra dollops of ricotta.