Zesty Ricotta and Olive Pasta
Anytime I can add olives to a recipe it’s a winner for me, so this Zesty Ricotta and Olive Pasta is a great pick for a simple pasta.
UNDER 10 MINS
PASTA
VEGETARIAN
Ingredients
- 400g pasta (penne or fusilli work well)
- 250g ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup pitted olives, chopped
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- zest of 1 lemon
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
- grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
- extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Instructions
- In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and set aside.
- In a dry pan over medium heat, toast the pine nuts until golden and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté for about 1 minute, or until fragrant.
- Remove the pan from the heat, then combine the cooked pasta, ricotta cheese, sautéed garlic, olives, lemon zest, and lemon juice. If the mixture is too thick, add a little pasta cooking water.
- Stir in the toasted pine nuts and chopped basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil, and sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the top.