Ok, this is one of those recipe shares that kinda feels like cheating. I mean, this dish is soooooo incredibly simple. There’s no fancy chef technique, or clever kitchen hack that’s about to be revealed. My easy herb and ricotta pasta is just simple, to-the-point cooking. Aimed at getting a tasty dish on the table without much effort because it’s summer and I want to be outside, not at the stove, no what I mean?? I’m sure you do!
I can see many of you out there cringing, as if you would really dare dive into a big bowl of cheesy pasta in the middle of swimsuit season. I hear your cries, but I struggle with the same issue and my approach during these trimmer months is to simply eat less. I’m mean, I’m just not willing to only eat pasta in the winter!! So, I make a batch of this cheesy goodness and eat small portions of it throughout the week. It’s good served cold, or zapped in the microwave briefly, so you don’t have to cook a whole new meal every day. Leftovers for the win, my friends!
My favorite part of this entire dish, to be honest, is the fresh herbs. I hope you’ve noticed by now that I love to toss fresh herbs into nearly every dish, and while I was too busy to start a spring garden this year (DRAT!!! ANGRY FIST SHAKING!!!) I do have a serious crop of chives that come back every year. Which is why my recipe calls for chives, but honestly, use whatever you have in your garden. Feel free to combine multiple herbs in fact. Basil, parsley, tarragon, chervil, or even a little mint would all be equally fresh and wonderful.
Another beautiful attribute of this recipe is that it is a by-product of a different meal I’ve been enjoying a lot lately. Remember this one for my raw cauliflower salad with jalapeno mignonette? Well, there is also a creamy ricotta component in that dish, so having left over fresh ricotta in my fridge while simultaneously craving a big bowl of pasta led me to put two and two together and, as they say, the rest is history! That’s what I call using your pantry!
So while this recipe is pretty basic, if I enjoy eating this dish, I imagine many of you out there will as well, so I can’t help myself but to share. I hope you’ll try it for yourselves and bask in the remarkable easiness of it all! If you do, tell me about it in the comments. I love to hear from you!
An easy, fast, fresh-tasting pasta dish makes it to the table quickly and is sure to be a dish the whole family will enjoy.
Ingredients
Scale
2 heaping cups of rigatoni pasta (about 8–10 ounces)
1 cup fresh ricotta
1–2 tablespoons fresh chives, small dice (or other fresh herbs)
1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
Boil pasta according to package instructions. Strain. Drizzle with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
While pasta boils, combine ricotta, minced garlic, chopped chives and grated Parmesan and cayenne pepper in a large mixing bowl. Note, fresh garden chives usually have more bold flavor than store bought variety, so use between 1-2 tablespoons depending on how flavorful your chives are.
Season ricotta mixture with salt and pepper to taste.
Once pasta is strained, but still warm, toss in the bowl with the ricotta mix and stir to combine evenly. Serve while warm.
Keywords: easy pasta, kid friendly dinners, ricotta, cheesy pasta
