Easy Garden Pasta Side Dish with Lemon Ricotta

Votes: 1

How to Make - Easy Garden Side Dish of Lemon Ricotta Pasta

Time: 30 min.
Complexity: easily
Servings: 4

This simple garden side dish is perfect for weekend dining outdoors. Besides the pasta itself, it includes seasonal summer vegetables. You can add whatever's growing in your garden—for example, a delicious combination of sugar snap peas, bell peppers, radishes, and plenty of fresh herbs (or several types) would be a delicious combination. The peas are boiled for a couple of minutes before adding them to the salad, and the radishes and bell peppers are quickly sautéed in garlicky butter. Their juices, along with the butter and melting Parmesan, will create a delicious creamy pasta sauce. Serve the pasta with ricotta whipped with lemon zest, and enjoy its veggie richness and refreshing flavor.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

340 g of Gemelli pasta (spirals)
2 cups sugar snap peas, trimmed and cut into 2cm pieces (about 200g)
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, chopped
6 radishes, thinly sliced (about 1 cup)
1 small yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
0.5 cup grated Parmesan (about 30 g)
2/3 cup chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, basil, and/or chives)
1 cup ricotta
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

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Recipes with similar ingredients: fusilli spiral pasta, sugar snap peas, sweet pepper, Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, radish, chives, basil

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions, adding the peas 2 minutes before the end of cooking. Separately, set aside 0.5 cups of the pasta cooking water and discard the rest.
Meanwhile, melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of black pepper; cook until the garlic softens, about 1 minute. Add the radishes and bell pepper and cook, stirring, until softened, about 2 minutes. Add half of the reserved pasta water and cook until the vegetables are tender, another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the pasta and peas to the pan along with the remaining 3 tablespoons of butter, Parmesan, and most of the herbs, reserving a few spoonfuls for serving. Stir to distribute the ingredients evenly, adding enough of the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
In a bowl, combine the ricotta, 1 tablespoon of water, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt. Top each serving with lemon ricotta and sprinkle with the remaining herbs.

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