A thoroughly delicious recipe weekend over here came to a close with this delightful pasta dish. It’s creamy, cheesy and has just the right amount of lemon flavor without being overwhelming. It all came together in half an hour total, so it’s a great meal choice when you want something homemade and delicious but don’t want to be in the kitchen for hours.
Lemon Ricotta Pasta w/Spinach, Mushrooms & Red Bell Peppers
This cheesy, lemony pasta is refreshing and comes together in 30 minutes, making it a perfect meal choice when you want a tasty homemade meal without spending hours in the kitchen.
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time20 mins
Total Time30 mins
Servings: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
- 12 oz fettuccine (I used whole wheat and it was delicious)
- 2 cups ricotta cheese (I used part-skim ricotta)
- 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1 tsp. grated lemon rind
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
- 1/8 tsp. crushed red pepper
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1+1/2 cups red bell pepper (diced) - I used an extra large pepper, which may have been a bit more than 1+1/2 cups. More red bell pepper is never a bad thing!
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms (cremini/baby bella work great)
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach
Instructions
- Cook fettuccine according to the package directions, with 1 Tbsp. olive oil in the water as it cooks (this helps prevent the noodles from sticking together as much during cooking and after draining). When done, drain the pasta, reserving 3/4 cup of the water the pasta was cooked in.
- While the pasta cooks, combine the ricotta cheese, lemon juice, lemon rind, salt, black pepper and crushed red pepper in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil, then add the red bell pepper, mushrooms and garlic and sautee for ~3 minutes.
- Add the pasta, spinach, ricotta cheese mixture and reserved pasta water to the skillet and cook for ~2 minutes until the spinach wilts and sauce just starts to boil. *Note: If mixture is too thick, add a little hot water to thin it out. If it's a little too thin, add in some extra ricotta cheese to thicken it up.*
- Taste test and add additional salt, black pepper and/or crushed red pepper to taste.
- Serve hot.
Notes
**NOTE: This recipe is NOT Low FODMAP and is NOT approved for IBS and/or GERD/Acid Reflux/Heartburn**
Adapted from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom
Adapted from Scattered Thoughts of a Crafty Mom