Foodie Fridays: Easy Lemon Ricotta Pasta and Spinach

Looking for an easy recipe to use up some leftover ricotta cheese, I found one for Easy Lemon Ricotta Pasta and Spinach which turned out to be absolutely delicious!  It truly was very easy to make, the only tricky part being not to add more cooking liquid than needed to achieve the ideal creamy texture.  Whole milk ricotta is recommended, but I only had the part skim type and it worked just fine.  I always buy whole wheat pasta because I prefer it, and used whole wheat spaghetti for this recipe.  I loved this pasta dish so much that I look forward to making it again using the spinach that is currently growing in my garden.  Time to buy more ricotta cheese!

Easy Lemon Ricotta Pasta and Spinach

1 C. ricotta cheese
1/3 C. grated Parmesan
zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 T. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
8 oz. long or medium pasta (like spaghetti, linguine, penne, fusilli)
8 oz. baby spinach

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, olive oil, and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir until well combined and taste for seasoning.

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente.  During the last minute of the pasta's cooking time, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then stir the spinach into the pot.  After 1 minute, drain and return pasta and spinach to the pot.

Add the ricotta sauce and half of the reserved cooking water to the pot.  Stir well to evenly coat the pasta in the sauce, adding more cooking water as needed to reach a smooth and creamy texture.

Serve immediately, garnished with Parmesan, a drizzle of olive oil, and lemon wedges if desired.  Serves 2-3.

Note: Add the pasta water gradually, as you might not need all of it (the pasta should be moist but the flavor should not be watered down).  If you need more liquid, add some milk.