Sometimes you just need a really fast, super simple dinner for a busy weeknight. Lemon Ricotta Pasta is the perfect go to! You are going to be so shocked with how simple it is to make this dish – you don’t even have to cook the sauce! If you can boil water – you can make this pasta dish! And the addition of the chicken and bacon makes it a hearty dish for any weeknight meal.
Ricotta is a totally underappreciated cheese – in my opinion. It is so versatile – you can use it in sweet and savory creations and you can have it take on so many different flavor profiles. For this dish, adding the lemon brings an amazing level of brightness to the dish. The lemon really helps to bring out the great flavors of the chicken and bacon.
If you wanted to make this as a side dish or a vegetarian dish, you could omit the chicken and bacon. And I would probably increase the amount of spinach used, just give it a little more substance.
Now Let’s Get Cookin’!
Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Ingredients
- 1½ lb Chicken Breast
- ½ lb Bacon cut in ½-inch pieces
- 1 qt Chicken Broth
- 1½ lb Long Pasta spaghetti, linguine, etc.
- 2 cups Ricotta
- 1½ cups Baby Spinach rough chopped
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese grated
- 2 Lemons zest & juice
- 3 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Coarse Black Pepper
Instructions
- Prepare all of the ingredients. Start water to boil for Pasta
- In a pot over medium-high heat, add chicken broth and chicken. Let boil for 15 minutes. Remove chicken from pot and chop into bit-sized pieces.
- In a frying pan over medium high heat, add bacon. Cook until crispy and remove to paper towel covered plate.
- Add pasta to water and cook as directed on package. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, add spinach to the pot. Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain in colander and rinse with cool water to arrest cooking process. Return to pot (away from heat).
- In a bowl, combine ricotta, parmesan, garlic, lemon zest & juice, salt and pepper. Add to pasta, along with chicken and reserved pasta water, and toss to until well coated. Garnish with bacon and additional parmesan cheese if desired.
Estelle Forrest self-published this cookbook after a lot of playing around in the kitchen. You can purchase your own copy here:
AVAILABLE IN PRINT OR KINDLE eBOOK VERSIONS
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That sounds delicious; thanks so much for sharing with us at Encouraging Hearts and Home. Pinned.
That sounds like a wonderful, comfort food! Thanks for sharing at the What’s for Dinner party!! Hope your week is going great.
Your post is awesome and thanks so much for sharing it with us at Full Plate Thursday,510. Hope you are having a great week and come back soon!
Miz Helen