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pesto ricotta pasta recipe vegetarian gluten free noodles with pesto and ricotta cheese linguine meatless monday pasta ideas no meat ricotta cheese pasta

Pesto Ricotta Pasta

Kelly Jensen
This Pesto Ricotta Pasta recipe is light, creamy, flavorful, and packed with vegetarian protein! A fantastic pantry staple weeknight  dinner, and great to meal prep for the week.
5 from 3 votes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Dinner, Pasta
Cuisine American, Italian
Servings 8
Calories 388 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb linguine use gluten free if needed, reserve 2 cups cooking water
  • 2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup pesto see note below for 5-minute pesto recipes!
  • 1 lemon juiced
  • 1 bunch fresh parsley
  • 2/3 teaspoon Sea Salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon Black Pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

Instructions
 

  • Cook the Pasta.  I used linguine, but whatever pasta shape you choose to use, just cook it to package instructions.  Reserve 2 cups of the cooking water to use later in the sauce.  Drain the rest of the water, and set pasta aside.
  • Place the pot with the drained pasta back on the stove and simmer over low heat. To the drained pasta, add the ricotta, pesto, parsley, and lemon juice.  Slowly stir in 1 cup of the pasta cooking liquid to thin the sauce as desired.  Add more water if you want a thinner sauce. Add salt and pepper and chili flakes.
  • Taste, and adjust seasonings if needed. Serve with garlic knots and a side salad.

Notes

5-Minute Pesto Recipes

For this recipe you can use homemade or store-bought pesto. Here are a few of my favorite pesto recipes that I have on this site!
Kale Pesto with Walnuts Pasta Recipe (Vegetarian, Gluten Free)
Pumpkin Seed Pesto Recipe
Honey Walnut Pesto Recipe (Gluten Free, Vegetarian)
Beet Green Pesto Recipe (Vegan, Gluten Free)
Balsamic Pesto Sauce (Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free)

Nutrition

Calories: 388kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 16gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 34mgSodium: 543mgPotassium: 269mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1505IUVitamin C: 24mgCalcium: 207mgIron: 2mg
Did You Make This Recipe?Please leave a rating and comment below, let us know what you loved about it!