Pasta is perhaps my favorite comfort dish of all time. You can serve it with a sauce that took all day or one that took only ten minutes, and it will be a delightful and comforting dinner either way. This pasta, Lemon Ricotta Spaghetti, is more of a ‘ten minute’ variety.

Pasta is perhaps my favorite comfort dish of all time. You can serve it with a sauce that took all day or one that took only ten minutes, and it will be a delightful and comforting dinner either way. This pasta, Lemon Ricotta Spaghetti, is more of a ‘ten minute’ spaghetti – it’ll take you little more time than it takes to cook the noodles. It’s amazingly fast, and its creamy lemony flavor is one you’ll want to return to again and again.

When I’m hungry and in a hurry, I’ve been known to toss pasta in butter and noodles and call it a day. It’s nice, but this dish takes about the same amount of time and is far more gratifying! The sauce is made while the spaghetti cooks, so it doesn’t take much more time.
INGREDIENTS
1 pound pasta
1 cup ricotta (whole milk)
3 cups arugula baby
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 lemon juice and zest
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
Optional: 1/4 teaspoon red chili flake
To taste, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
PREPARATION
Cook pasta according to package directions in a big pot of salted boiling water.
Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, olive oil, parmesan, garlic, lemon zest and juice, and chili flake, if using, in a medium mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper and mix well.
Drain carefully and set aside 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
Return the spaghetti, ricotta sauce, reserved pasta water, and arugula to the pot and toss to cover with sauce, adding additional pasta water if necessary.
If desired, top with more parmesan cheese. Enjoy!