If you’re looking for a quick and easy last minute dinner idea, pasta with ricotta is for you! This simple 2 ingredient recipe is perfect Italian comfort food and ready in only 10 minutes.
Pasta with ricotta, or pasta ca’ ricotta as we call it in Sicilian, is hardly a recipe. Cook pasta and stir in ricotta along with some pasta water, would you consider that a recipe? Regardless, I think everyone should know about the easiest no cook pasta sauce you will ever make!
This is one of those dishes that my mother made (and still makes today) when she wanted to make an easy weeknight meal and happen to have a container of ricotta in the fridge. Or better yet, she had just made a batch of fresh homemade ricotta!
It’s not a fancy dish, as you can see, and it’s definitely not what you make when you’re having dinner guests. However, this is more than just a recipe for me. It’s an important family tradition.
Memories of mom’s homemade ricotta:
This creamy pasta with ricotta brings back memories from my childhood. I picture driving to the countryside with my parents on a Sunday afternoon to visit a dairy farm and purchase a couple of gallons of raw milk.
Upon returning home my mother would immediately make fresh ricotta. I recall my father at the kitchen table with a huge bowl of front of him, sipping the hot whey in which little mounds of ricotta were floating.
Of course I’ll have to admit that I dreaded these trips! I found them incredibly boring at the time and furthermore, homemade ricotta did not impress me much at all.
However, I do recall the rich flavor of this homemade ricotta that fails to compare to store bought. I finally got around to making my own and it couldn’t be any easier, check that out here!
Some of my favorite recipes with ricotta:
Some of my favorite dishes, sweet or savory, are made with ricotta. In fact I have a whole category of recipes under the heading of ricotta! Here are a few favorites:
- Sicilian Cannoli with Ricotta Filling
- Baked Ricotta (ricotta al forno)
- Mortadella, Ricotta and Pistachio Pesto Pizza
- Mom’s Sicilian Ricotta Pie
- Sicilian Cassatelle with Ricotta
- Easy Lemon Ricotta Doughnuts
- Ricotta Pistachio Cake Roll
- and lots more here!
But for now, let me explain how easy this ricotta pasta is to prepare.
The following are step by step instructions with images to guide you through this recipe. Please scroll to the end of this post for the detailed, printable recipe card.
Step by Step Instructions:
Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add salt and cook spaghetti or spaghettini until al dente.
Meanwhile place ricotta in a medium sized mixing bowl. Stir enough pasta water into the ricotta to create a smooth, creamy sauce. I add about 1 cup. Add salt, to taste, if needed.
Use a pasta scooper to place the spaghetti directly into your pasta bowl. Spoon the ricotta mixture over the spaghetti and stir until all strands are coated.
Serve immediately!
Recipe Notes
Variations:
We enjoy this pasta with ricotta as is. However there are lots of ways you can dress it up!
- Stir in some sautéed spinach, zucchini or peas, with or without a clove of garlic.
- Serve with grated parmigiano cheese.
- Several readers shared with me that their nonnas served it with a spoonful of sugar. I’m intrigued, however I have yet to try this myself!
What types of pasta go well with ricotta?
- My mom always makes this dish with spaghettini but you may substitute spaghetti or a shorter pasta such as penne, rigatoni, fusilli or shells. Or basically just about any type of pasta you have availabel!
How to reheat leftovers:
- Pasta with ricotta is best eaten right away as it tends to dry out once cooled. However if you do have any leftovers keep them refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- I recommend you reserve some of the pasta water in order to stir it into the pasta when reheating.
- Alternately, stir in a spoonful or two of milk when reheating.
More tips:
- This recipe serves between 3-4 people, depending on portion size.
- Some varieties of ricotta are more dry than others. Be sure to reserve pasta water to add as needed in order to have a creamy texture.
- Try making homemade ricotta to serve with your pasta!
Next time you have extra ricotta sitting in the fridge that needs using up, try making pasta with ricotta and you’ll agree it’s the easiest Italian comfort dish you’ll ever make! Share photos of your dish by tagging me with#mangiabedda or @mangiabedda on Facebook or Instagram. And don’t forget to PIN the recipe for later.
Buon appetito!
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb spaghetti (about 225 grams)
- 475 grams whole milk ricotta (a little over 1 pound)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt generously and boil spaghetti until al dente.
- Meanwhile, place ricotta in a medium sized bowl. Scoop as much pasta water as needed to create a smooth, creamy sauce. I add about 1 cup. Add salt to taste if necessary.
- Scoop the cooked spaghetti directly into 4 pasta bowls using a spaghetti scooper.
- Divide the ricotta mixture among the bowls. Stir the ricotta into the spaghetti and serve immediately.
Notes
Variations:
We enjoy this pasta with ricotta as is. However there are lots of ways you can dress it up!- Stir in some sautéed spinach, zucchini or peas, with or without a clove of garlic.
- Serve with grated parmigiano cheese.
- Several readers shared with me that their nonnas served it with a spoonful of sugar. I'm intrigued, however I have yet to try this myself!
What types of pasta go well with ricotta?
- My mom always makes this dish with spaghettini but you may substitute spaghetti or a shorter pasta such as penne, rigatoni, fusilli or shells. Or basically just about any type of pasta you have availabel!
How to reheat leftovers:
- Pasta with ricotta is best eaten right away as it tends to dry out once cooled. However if you do have any leftovers keep them refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- I recommend you reserve some of the pasta water in order to stir it into the pasta when reheating.
- Alternately, stir in a spoonful or two of milk when reheating.
More tips:
- This recipe serves between 3-4 people, depending on portion size.
- Some varieties of ricotta are more dry than others. Be sure to reserve pasta water to add as needed in order to have a creamy texture.
- Try making homemade ricotta to serve with your pasta!
The one item my Ma added was sugar.
Also we always use Penne, it really holds
the ricotta. We just called it
White Macaroni. Ma had been gone for many years, but it to this day, and I’m
75 !! Love your posts.
Hello Willie, you are not the first to let me know that sugar was added to this recipe and I must say I am intrigued by this. I have yet to try it with sugar but I definitely must try it. Thanks for sharing and for your kind words!
Delicious — I added crumbled cooked Italian sausage. When I was little, my grandma would give us ricotta with a dash of cinnamon for a treat.
Hello Janet, the recipe is definitely versatile and can be varied in so many ways. Sausage sounds good to me, glad you enjoyed it!
Hi Nadia,
I made pasta with ricotta last night after not making it for a while. It was so comforting! I grew up eating this pasta but my mom used to add peas, a bit of butter and a pinch of nutmeg, so delicious! Thank you for all your Sicilian recipes that bring me so much comfort and oh so many memories!
Hi Lydia, this pasta dish has always been comforting to me as well. And I enjoy hearing about everyone’s take on this simple dish! I have never tried it with nutmeg but of course nutmeg pairs so well with ricotta so I can imagine how tasty it is! Thanks for sharing Lydia!
It’s exactly how my Sicilian Nona made it. But I’m tempted to add a little pesto to it
Hi Frank, I like mine plain only with ricotta but give it a try. I like to hear that my readers personalize my recipes to suit their taste!
I remember this as a kid my mother has not made it in years but I will go
And get some fresh ricotta and make it because it so good
Hello Vince, indeed this is a dish that reminds me of my childhood as well. The best quality ricotta is ideal since the recipe is so simple. Enjoy!
But not too much pesto, maybe a tablespoon or 2.
This has always been a favourite of mine! Looks delicious!
Thanks Lea, I’m glad you enjoy it too!
Simply delicious!
Thank you, it’s always been a family favourite!
One of those go to pastas we turn to often when I don’t feel much like cooking. I can imagine how delicious it must be with homemade ricotta!
Hi Frank, that’s exactly when we make this pasta. Now I have to get around to making my own homemade ricotta! Thanks!
This dish reminds me of what mama made for me when I was home from school with a cold or other minor ailments. It was a nourishing special treat in her mind, not overwhelming for a kid who was not feeling well. I loved it then and served it to my own children when they felt under the weather and they felt as loved as I did when I was a child. It has been a long while since I’ve had little ones with me so have not made this for so long but I am encouraged to make it for my old self to warm back some happy memories. Thank you Nadia – again, a winner!
Hi Anna, it was never a fancy meal nor is it visually very appealing. However, as it does for you, this dish brings back so many memories and it is a staple at our house. Thanks so much for your lovely comment, as usual, and your continued support!
One of my favorites growing up and I still make. The only difference was Ma added some sugar to ricotta, and we used penne. I also want to make the homemade ricotta. Someday!
Hi Willie, This is so interesting, it’s the first time I hear of sugar being added to this recipe. I’m truly intrigues! Someone else wrote to me saying that they also add cinnamon. Now I must try these ideas, thanks for sharing with me!
My mother used to make this for my brother and me whenever my dad was out of town. She always used ziti or rigatoni and put a healthy spoonful of sugar on top. The three of us used to fight over the last bits of sauce left in the pasta bowl! I’m not sure where this “recipe” originated but she was originally from Bari, Italy. One of my favorite memories from childhood.
Hello Lori, I’m fascinated by this idea! I must admit, I had never heard of it before and now I’m curious about it. I’ll try it next time I make this pasta. Thanks for your comment!
My Italian family always had a similar dish at our frequent family gatherings. My dear grandma also from Bari, Italy would make a huge batch of homemade pasta sauce with spaghetti and meatballs, In addition there was always a “mac n cheese” type dish of small shell pasta with ricotta and sugar on the table for the kids who didn’t like the tomato based pasta sauce. I remember it being rather sweet which I’m sure is why the kids liked it. If you have GERD or heartburn this is also a good alternative to acid based tomato sauces. Lori since your mom was from Bari also, maybe this is a regional dish, I’ve never seen it at a restaurant and even online this is the only recipe I found that seemed similar.
Hello Rose, thank you for sharing this with my readers! I am so intrigued by the ricotta with sugar on pasta. I have never tried this but I definitely will one day!
My grandma also added sugar with ricotta but always used medium shells.. She made this for young kids in the family who didn’t like marinara sauce because it was “too spicy”
Hi RC, thanks for your comment! Your grandma was definitely not the only person to add sugar to her ricotta with pasta. I am truly intrigued by this and must try it! I can imagine how the little ones preferred this to spicy tomato sauce. Thanks for sharing!