Pasta with Ricotta and Lemon

My delicious and creamy Pasta with Ricotta and Lemon is the weeknight dinner you've been waiting for! It's the perfect one-pot meal!

Course Main, Main Course, Main Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword lemon chicken pasta, lemon ricotta pasta, ricotta lemon pasta, ricotta pasta sauce

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 30

Total Time 40

Servings

Calories 977kcal

Preheat the oven to 400°F. While it's preheating, slice the chicken in half and marinate in 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice for no longer than 10 minutes, then sprinkle with salt and pepper.
1 Chicken breast, 3 Tablespoons Lemon juice, Salt and pepper
Arrange chicken on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 15 minutes. Cut into strips after baking, and set aside.
While the chicken is baking, prepare the pasta to package instructions. Make sure to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining.
½ lb Spaghetti
In a separate pan or in the same pan as the pasta (see notes), combine the pasta water, lemon zest, lemon juice, ricotta, Parmesan, and salt and pepper, and stir until the cheese is melted and the pasta is well coated.
1 cup Pasta water, 1½ cups Ricotta cheese, ½ cup Parmesan, 1½ teaspoons Lemon zest, 3 Tablespoons Lemon juice
Serve, topped with sliced chicken and additional lemon zest, and enjoy!

- Mixing all the sauce ingredients in the same pan as the pasta saves on dishes, but cooking it in a separate pot makes for a smoother sauce.

- I highly recommend using fresh lemon juice instead of bottled. The flavor difference is remarkable.

- You can use any pasta you like for this recipe! I like linguini, spaghetti, radiatore, and spirals, as they catch sauce well.

- Make sure to cut the chicken breasts into two thin halves- this will ensure even cooking!

- Don't over-marinate the meat! Lemon juice is highly acidic and can start breaking down chicken, making it mushy.
- If you want to make this recipe for 4 people, double the ingredients.