A fresh pasta dish featuring creamy ricotta, zesty lemon, and sweet green peas coating perfectly al dente rigatoni.
# What You'll Need:
→ Pasta
01 - 14 oz rigatoni
→ Ricotta & Lemon Mixture
02 - 8.8 oz ricotta cheese
03 - 1 lemon, zested
04 - 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
05 - 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
06 - 1 small garlic clove, finely grated
07 - 1.4 oz grated Parmesan cheese
08 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
→ Vegetables
09 - 7 oz frozen or fresh green peas
→ Garnish
10 - Extra grated Parmesan cheese for serving
11 - Fresh basil or mint leaves, optional
12 - Lemon zest, optional
# Directions:
01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add rigatoni and cook until al dente according to package directions. Reserve 4 fl oz of pasta cooking water before draining.
02 - While pasta cooks, blanch peas in the boiling water for 2 to 3 minutes, adding frozen peas during the final 2 to 3 minutes of pasta cooking. Drain with pasta.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, combine ricotta, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, grated garlic, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Mix until smooth and creamy. Add pasta water as needed to achieve desired consistency.
04 - Add hot drained pasta and peas to the ricotta mixture. Toss well, adding reserved pasta water gradually until pasta is evenly coated in silky sauce.
05 - Transfer to serving bowls immediately. Top with additional Parmesan, fresh herbs, and lemon zest as desired.
