Monday Munchies: Nutty Ricotta Pasta
By Stefano Blanca Sciacaluga and Alex Menez
Hola friends, it’s Monday again and what better way to demolish those weekly blues than with a good plate of pasta.
Here at YGTV we're all fans of food and thought it would be a fabulous idea to write up a few recipes we regularly make at home that make our tummies smile.
So picture this: it’s 4pm and you’re sitting at your desk hungry af but you know full well this evening que no vas a tener ganas de cocinar.
If this has happened to you (don’t lie, it totally has) then we have the perfect comfort meal for you.
We’ve made this dish a lot this year after being inspired by a few different recipes for Pesto Bianco and felt the rest of you hungry monkeys needed this in your life.
We know everyone loves a creamy pasta sauce but we also know not everyone loves waking up at 3am with a wild tummy ache. So here, as you can see, we use ricotta and lemon zest which makes it feel a lot lighter!
Here’s the recipe for one of our most loved comfort foods: Nutty Ricotta Pasta.
INGREDIENTS:
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1 Garlic clove
- 1 pack of Pasta (450g) - We used these fancy ones we bought from a local supermarket but any tube, long, short or wavy pasta will be perfectly fine.
- 150g of Ricotta
- 60g - 80g of Parmigiano Regiano or the cheaper Grana Padano (but we recommend Parmigiano)
- 3 tbs of olive oil
- 70g Walnuts
- Oregano
- Black pepper
- Salt
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 150°.
- Put your walnuts on a baking sheet and pop them in the oven for 3 minutes. Give them a shake and leave them in in the oven for 2/3 minutes or until toasted. Leave aside to cool.
- Fill up your pasta pot with water and put it to boil. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE SALT YOUR WATER ADEQUATELY
- Chop up your walnuts and throw them in a big mixing bowl
- Add your ricotta, parmigiano, minced garlic clove, oregano, chilli flakes and lemon zest. Mix all together until combined.
- Add salt and black pepper to taste. We personally recommend una pila black pepper for added heat.
- Add three table spoons of olive oil into your mixture. Mix well until combined before adding each tablespoon.
- Pour your pasta into the boiling water, stir around for a few minutes and cook until al dente.
- Put aside 300ml of the pasta water just before you drain the pasta.
- Pour 3/4 of the reserved pasta water into the mixing bowl and mix until roughly combined.
- Throw your pasta into the mixing bowl and mix like crazy until all your pasta covered in your sauce. Use excess reserved pasta water if sauce is too thick.
