20 Minute Spinach Ricotta Pasta
A quick and easy cheesy pasta packed full of spinach!
Servings 4 people
Calories 427kcal
Equipment
- Large skillet at least 3 qt.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb spaghetti or other pasta
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach 2.5 oz
- 1 cup ricotta cheese 8.5 oz
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese 2.5 oz
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 cloves garlic
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt + more for pasta water
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3/4 cup reserved pasta water
- fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Heat a large pot of salted water to high and bring it to a boil. Meanwhile, prep and gather everything needed for the rest of the recipe and collect it all in one place.
- Add pasta to boiling water and set a timer for 1 minute less than the cooking instructions state. For spaghetti, it's usually 10 mins, so set a time for 9 minutes.
- After 5 minutes has passed, heat a skillet over medium and add butter. Melt and then add garlic and saute for 1-2 minutes. Add spinach saute, stirring to coat all of the spinach in butter and wilt. Approximately 1-2 minutes.
- Just before the pasta is done, use a measuring cup to get 3/4 cup of pasta water and add it to the spinach. Drain pasta and add to skillet. Don't rinse your pasta! You need that starch on the pasta for the sauce to cling to it.
- Add the cheeses, herbs, salt, pepper, lemon zest and juice to the saute pan and stir well with the pasta, melting the cheese with the pasta water and coating the pasta with the sauce.
- Continue to stir and let pasta finish cooking in the sauce, stirring often to coat, approximately 1-2 minutes.
- Add fresh chopped parsley and serve!
Video
Notes
Storage
Fridge: Store in the fridge for up to 3-4 days.
Substitutions
Butter: You can also use olive oil or your other neutral flavored favorite cooking oil.
Pasta: Use your favorites! We love this with pretty much all kinds, just be sure to adjust your cooking time based on the pasta. If using fresh pasta, you only need about 2 minutes of boiling time before adding it to the skillet.
Ricotta Cheese: Not only ricotta cheese brands are the same and we find that Galbani brand makes one of the creamiest ricottas that melts the best into the creamiest sauce. If using fresh homemade ricotta your sauce won't melt and be as creamy as the store-bought and will be a little chunkier of the sauce, but still delicious!
Parmesan Cheese: Use another hard nutty cheese like Romana or Asiago.
Lemon Zest and Juice: You can of course use lemon juice concentrate, but if you're already zesting the lemon, might as well use the juice, right? If you don't have a fresh lemon, But if you don't have fresh lemon at all, you can replace the 1/2 teaspoon of lemon zest with another 2 tablespoons of lemon juice.
Spinach: Use frozen spinach by thawing and draining as much as possible before adding it to the skillet. You can also use another dark leafy green like kale or arugula (for a pepper kick!).
Add Veggies: Feel free to add your favorite veggies, too! Saute some onion with the garlic or add peas or zucchini.
Nutrition
Calories: 427kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 20g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 894mg | Potassium: 308mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1954IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 311mg | Iron: 2mg
