Description
A simple marriage of ricotta cheese, egg, and a secret ingredient make for a sauce that’s even creamier than those that use heavy cream, which can be a bit too rich and filling. I mean, come on, I’m trying to save room for the tiramisu. Ricotta gives this sauce a cheesy tanginess that we don’t get with heavy cream. I love to top this pasta with lots of ricotta salata, a great summer cheese.
Ingredients
- 8 ounces orecchiette pasta
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 pinch cayenne pepper, or to taste
- ¼ cup pesto, or to taste
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Cook orecchiette according to package directions
- reducing time by 1 minute
- about 10 minutes.
- Meanwhile
- combine ricotta cheese
- egg
- salt
- pepper
- lemon zest
- and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Mix until a paste forms. Add 1/3 cup hot pasta water and whisk well. Repeat with another 1/3 cup pasta water.
- Transfer pasta to a saucepan using a strainer
- letting most
- but not all
- the water drain off. Reserve cooking water. Add the sauce mixture and turn heat to medium. Cook and stir until sauce thickens enough to coat the pasta evenly
- about 2 minutes. Add more pasta water if sauce gets too thick. Stir in pesto. Taste and season as desired. Transfer pasta to a warm bowl.
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Total Time: 30 mins
Servings: 4