Seriously so easy, this lemon ricotta pasta is a delicious, one pot dinner! In less than 30 minutes, this dinner can be made from start to finish! We added zucchini and asparagus, but you could add any number of veggies to change up this amped up mac and cheese. Add you can add cooked chicken to for a little extra protein. If you are looking for a quick, easy, one pot meal, this is a great go to option, especially for busy weeknights.
The past few weeks have suddenly felt really busy to me. I took on a new responsibility which means I'm gone every Thursday night. Having just one more night of my week gone has really impacted my down time. I feel like I am just running around most nights trying to get everything else done. So we've been eating a lot of quicker meals lately.
Thankfully this dinner turned out to be a delicious addition to the regular meals we have. And it's a really flexible dinner. We added a can of chicken from Costco to this to help fill us up a little more, but this is delicious with or without the chicken. And you could add cooked peppers, cherry tomatoes, or any other veggies you wanted to change this recipe up.
In less than 30 minutes, this dinner can be made from start to finish. If you are looking for a quick, easy, versatile, one pot meal, this is a great go to option, especially for busy weeknights. This is definitely getting added to list of go to meals!
1/4 cup butter
1 small shallot, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
pinch of red pepper flakes
zest of one lemon
1 pound short cut pasta
4 cups chicken broth
2 zucchini, grated
1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces.
1 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1/2 cup fresh basil, roughly chopped
salt and black pepper
optional: 1 cup cooked chicken
Melt the butter over medium heat in a large pot. Add the shallot, garlic, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Sauté another 2-3 minutes or until butter just starts to brown.
Stir in the pasta and lemon zest, making sure to coat the pasta in the butter. Stir in the broth, zucchini, and asparagus. Bring to a boil over medium high heat, stirring occasionally. Continue cooking and stirring another 10 or so minutes or until pasta is al dente and most of the liquid has evaporated.
Stir in the ricotta and parmesan until just melted. If adding the chicken, add that now as well. Salt and pepper to taste. Stir in basil and serve!
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