Italian Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Peas

Ingredients

• 12 oz pasta such as spaghetti or fettuccine
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup frozen peas thawed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon zest freshly grated
• 2 tbsp lemon juice freshly squeezed
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper freshly ground
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese grated
• 2 tbsp fresh basil chopped

Instructions

1. 1 Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package instructions.
2. 2 While the pasta is cooking, in a large mixing bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and black pepper.
3. 3 Mix the ricotta mixture until smooth and well combined.
4. 4 Two minutes before the pasta is done, add the peas to the boiling pasta water.
5. 5 Reserve 1 cup of pasta water, then drain the pasta and peas.
6. 6 Add the hot pasta and peas to the ricotta mixture and toss to combine, adding reserved pasta water as needed to reach the desired creamy consistency.
7. 7 Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese and adjust seasoning with additional salt and pepper if needed.
8. 8 Serve immediately, garnished with fresh basil and additional Parmesan cheese.