My Walnut Ricotta Basil Pasta was such a hit that I wanted to come up with an even simpler version. This pasta is so light and summery and comes together super fast, no blender required. Pasta and green beans get cooked in the same pot and then tossed in a lemony garlicky creamy ricotta mixture that lightly coats the pasta. So good!
Ingredient Highlight
Green beans! Are high in vitamin C (one cup has 25% of your daily vitamin C needs) and a good source of fiber, calcium, iron, and magnesium. Be sure to buy them organic, as they are among the pesticide-heavy veggies.
Servings 4
Prep Time 10 minutes 
Cook Time 12 minutes Ingredients
- 12-16 oz rigatoni or casarecce (or any other short pasta shape)
- 4 cups chopped green beans (trimmed, cut into 1-inch pieces)*
- 15 oz whole milk ricotta cheese (about 2 cups)
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for topping**
- Zest from 1 lemon
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced, grated or crushed
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- * You can use frozen pre-cut green beans to save time or sub with broccoli.
- ** Crumbled feta cheese can be substituted for parmesan.
Instructions
- Bring a pot of water to a boil and salt generously. Add the pasta and boil according to the package instructions. In the last 2-3 minutes, add your green beans and boil until pasta is cooked through and veggies are tender. Reserve a bit of pasta water just in case! Drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the ricotta, parmesan, lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt, and pepper.
- Add the pasta/veg to the bowl and toss to coat. Taste and add more lemon or salt, if needed.
- Serve topped with a sprinkling of parmesan cheese and some more black pepper.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Whisk together the ricotta mixture
- Trim and cut green beans into 1-inch pieces (4 cups worth)
Substitutions:
- To make vegan, try substituting with my Vegan Sunflower Ricotta recipe for the ricotta cheese. Use 2 cups of it and make sure to save some pasta water and whisk about ¼-½ cup of it with the vegan ricotta since it is a lot thicker. Leave out the lemon juice since it is already in the vegan ricotta and add some to taste, if needed. Since you’re leaving out the parmesan or feta, you will likely want to increase the salt.
- To make gluten-free, use a gluten-free pasta alternative.
- Substitute any quick cooking veggie for the green beans.
Storage:
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up leftover pasta in the microwave until just warm, stirring after 1 minute. Serve it up topped with a fresh squeeze of lemon, cheese, and black pepper. If you have any fresh basil, parsley, or mint, sprinkle it over top.
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