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A kitchen scene displaying fresh ingredients, including a bowl of rigatoni pasta, dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, asparagus, basil, and garlic, set on a wooden surface. Cookbooks and a potted plant are in the background.

Ricotta and Lemon Pasta topped asparagus and sun-dried tomatoes

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: asparagus, Pasta recipe, Ricotta, sun-dried tomatoes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 180kcal
This creamy pasta topped with fresh vegetables is an easy delicious meal.
Print Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1/2 pd short pasta
  • 3/4 cups homemade ricotta cheese
  • 1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
  • 1 tsp. lemon zest
  • 1 tsp lemon juice
  • 1/4 cup pasta water
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper

Topping

  • 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 clove minced garlic
  • 1/2 pound asparagus
  • 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, drained, and finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup loosely packed basil
  • grated nutmeg (optional)

Instructions

Pasta

  • Cook pasta per package directions, drain reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water.

Topping

  • While pasta is cooking, add olive oil to a sauté pan on medium-high heat. add the asparagus and cook, stirring continually for about 7 minutes until asparagus is heated through but still crunchy. (Unless you like your veggies mushy then cook until desired consistancy). Add the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, and basil. Season with salt and pepper (or herb salt) to taste.
  • In a large mixing bowl add the drained pasta, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt and pepper. Add a bit of the reserved pasta water to create a creamy cheese constancy.
  • Top the pasta with the tomato and asparagus mixture. Garnish with basil, parmesan cheese and a bit of grated nutmeg.

Notes

You can use Homemade Ricotta Cheese or store-bought. You can find my easy Homemade Ricotta Cheese HERE.
Store-bought sun-dried tomatoes can also be used but it you would like to make your own, you can find my recipe HERE.
I also used my Herb Salt instead of salt. That recipe is HERE.

Nutrition

Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 10g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 28mg | Sodium: 469mg | Potassium: 397mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 942IU | Vitamin C: 20mg | Calcium: 197mg | Iron: 2mg