After spending a few days out at Camp Mennoscah last week, hanging out with a rambunctious group of 8-year-olds and sweating profusely, I decided I wanted something light and refreshing when I went to cook dinner back at home.
I spent way too much time going through recipes online, convinced that there had to be something that fit the bill that wasn’t just a normal, old salad.
As it usually does, the Internet finally provided me with exactly what I was looking for: a light, lemony pasta dish.
I had to change it a bit, since our local grocery store didn’t have everything I needed, but since I’m so thankful to have the opportunity to shop locally for my food, I was definitely still buying my supplies there. And the good news is it was still absolutely delicious.
This comes from the blog “Olive and Mango.” You can find the original post at https://www.oliveandmango.com/lemon-ricotta-pasta-with-arugula/. I substituted spinach in my version, because I couldn’t get arugula, and I also added extra ricotta and some chicken.
Lemon Ricotta Pasta
Ingredients
- 16 ounces tubular pasta ex. penne, rigatoni
- 15 ounces whole milk ricotta
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
- 2 cups baby spinach or arugula
- salt and pepper to taste
- red chili flakes for serving (optional)
- cooked chicken shrimp, etc. (optional)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta in a stock pot according to the package directions. Reserve one cup of the pasta water and drain the rest.
- In the same pot, off the heat, add the ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt and pepper, and stir them well.
- Whisk in about 1/2 cup of the pasta water, stirring until the sauce is smooth. If it’s not as loose as you’d like, add more water, a little at a time, until it’s to your desired consistency.
- Add in the spinach/arugula, and stir to coat and let it start to wilt.
- Stir in the pasta (and any cooked protein you’re adding), and coat it with the sauce, as well.
- Serve immediately with more grated parmesan and a sprinkling of red pepper flakes.
With the cheese sauce and pasta, you would think this dish was super heavy, but the lemon flavor made it taste really light and summery.
We opted to add chicken to our pasta, but we discussed how great it would be with some seared shrimp, a grilled steak or even some grilled salmon. It would be an easy one to customize, and if you’re looking for a vegetarian dish, it was awesome without the meat, too.
Between this great pasta, a few loads of laundry and some quality time in air conditioning, I’m pretty sure I’m fully recovered from my time at camp.
And now I know exactly what to have on the menu when I do it all again next year.
This piece first appeared in print July 3, 2025.
Spice Up Your Life is a weekly newspaper column written by Lindsey Young in south central Kansas. If you are interested in sponsoring this column, please contact us through the “Contact Lindsey” link at the top of the page.
