Penne With Asparagus Ricotta And Lemon Recipes

PENNE WITH RICOTTA AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Season with enough salt that the water tastes salty. Add the asparagus and cook until tender but still firm, about 4 minutes. Lift out the asparagus with tongs and transfer to an ice bath. Cut into 1/8 -inch slices, leaving tips intact.
• Bring the water back to a boil and add the penne.
• Meanwhile, rub a large serving bowl with the garlic. Add the ricotta, olive oil and 1/4 cup of the pasta cooking water; blend. When the pasta is done, drain it (reserving some water) and add it to the ricotta mixture. Top with the asparagus and half the Parmesan cheese, then fold everything together. Season to taste, adding some reserved pasta water if needed. Divide among 4 shallow bowls and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

PENNE WITH ASPARAGUS, RICOTTA AND LEMON

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of light salted water to a boil for cooking the penne.
• Stir together the ricotta, 1/4 cup of the parmesan, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until smooth.
• Add the penne to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally for 4 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook until the penne is al dente (Do not overcook penne) and the asparagus is tender, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and asparagus and place in a large bowl.
• Add 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water to the ricotta mixture, whisking until smooth. Toss the pasta with the ricotta sauce.
• Pass the remaining parmesan separately.
• One serving is 11/2 cups.
• VARIATION: Penne with Spinach, Ricotta, and Lemon.
• In step 3 omit the asparagus; cook the penne for 8 to10 minutes. While the penne is cooking, cook one 10 ounce (300-gram) package of frozen spinach according to package directions. In step 4 Toss the penne with the ricotta sauce and spinach.

LEMON ASPARAGUS PASTA

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a boil. Stir in penne and return to a boil. Cook pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 8 minutes. Penne will still be slightly firm.
• Stir asparagus into the pot with the boiling penne pasta and bring back to a boil; cook until pasta is tender and asparagus is softened but still bright green, about 3 more minutes. Drain pasta and asparagus.
• Place penne and asparagus into a large bowl; lightly stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese, olive oil, salt, and black pepper until thoroughly combined.

ONE-POT PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Combine the pasta, onions, garlic, asparagus, broth and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until the mixture boils, 7 to 10 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes.
• Stir in the frozen peas and continue to cook until the pasta is al dente and most of the liquid has been absorbed, about 2 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Taste and season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer the pasta to serving bowls and top with dollops of ricotta and a sprinkling of Parmesan. Garnish with basil leaves and serve.

PASTA WITH ASPARAGUS, ARUGULA AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil, and add a generous amount of salt. Add the asparagus. Cook pencil-thin asparagus for two minutes, three to four minutes if stems are medium-thick. Transfer to a bowl of ice-cold water. Drain and set aside.
• Place the ricotta in a large pasta bowl.
• Bring the water back to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook al dente, following the directions for timing on the package but checking a minute before the suggested cooking time. Stir 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water into the ricotta. Drain the pasta and toss at once with the olive oil and ricotta, the arugula, asparagus and Parmesan. Serve hot.

PENNE AND ASPARAGUS WITH RICOTTA CHEESE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to package directions, omitting any oil or butter.
• Two to four minutes before the pasta is done, add the asparagus to the water (2 minutes for thin spears, 4 minutes for thick). Before draining, reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water in a small bowl. Drain the pasta.
• Meanwhile, add the garlic, ricotta, and olive oil to a large serving bowl. As soon as the pasta is drained, mix in 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta water. Immediately add the pasta and asparagus and gently toss until the pasta and asparagus are coated with the cheese mixture. Season with salt and pepper. Gently toss again. If the mixture seems too dry, add more reserved pasta water, about 1/4 cup at a time, until no longer dry. Sprinkle the Parmesan over the pasta and sprinkle with the red pepper flakes, if desired. Serve immediately.
• nutrition information
• Each (about 2-cup) serving has:
• Calories: 318
• Protein: 15g
• Carbohydrates: 60g
• Fat: 7g
• Saturated Fat: 2g
• Cholesterol: 18mg
• Fiber: 9g
• Sodium: 183mg

PENNE WITH ASPARAGUS-LEMON SAUCE

Steps:

• Snap the tough butt ends off the asparagus or peel to the tender core.
• Cut the stmes into 1" pieces.
• Reserve the asparagus tips Bring 5-6 qts water to rolling boil, add 2-3 Tbs salt, and cook asparagus stems for 6-8 minutes until soft and totally tender.
• Remove stems with slotted spoon, refresh in cold water, and drain Cook the tips in the boiling water for 3-5 minutes until tender, remove with a slotted spoon, refresh in cold wate, and drain.
• Reserve asparagus cooking water.
• Puree the stems in a food processor with lemon zest, extra virgin olive oil, 1/2 cup asparagus cookign water, and salt and pepper to taste; transfer the sauce to a 3 qt pot.
• Return the remaining asparagus cooking water to a rolling boil, add the pasta, and cook until it still offers considerable resistance to the tooth, around three quarters of the recommended cooking time.
• Drain, reserving 2 cups of pasta water.
• Add pasta, asparagus tips, and 1/2 cup starchy water to asparagus stem puree and cook ina 3 qt pot over highest heat, stirring for 3-5 minutes until pasta is almost cooked and sauce coats pasta.
• Add more pasta water, 1/4 cup at a time, if sauce becomes too dry.
• Sauce should surround pasta but be slightly liquid since cheese will thicken it.
• Add the grated Parmigiano, heat for an additional minute to melt the cheese and serve immediately.

PENNE WITH ASPARAGUS AND LEMON-PARMESAN CREAM

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook, stirring often, until it's just tender, about 9 minutes.
• Scoop out 1 cup of the pasta water and set aside, then stir in the asparagus and cook until both the penne and the asparagus are tender, about 2 minutes.
• Drain well and return the asparagus and pasta to the pot along with 3/4 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, cream, 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water, and 1/2 tsp black pepper. Set over medium heat and cook, stirring for a couple of minutes so cheese melts; add more of the pasta water if mixture becomes dry.
• Stir in the chives, lemon zest and the lemon juice. Season generously with salt, pepper and more lemon juice to taste.
• Serve with a sprinkling of the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano.

ONE-POT PASTA WITH RICOTTA AND LEMON

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions until al dente. Reserve 1 cup pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta.
• In the same pot, make the sauce: Add the ricotta, Parmesan, lemon zest and juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and stir until well combined.
• Add 1/2 cup pasta water to the sauce and stir until smooth. Add the pasta and continue to stir vigorously until the noodles are well coated. Add more pasta water as needed for a smooth sauce.
• Divide the pasta among bowls and top with some of the sauce that's pooled at the bottom of the pot. Garnish with grated Parmesan, black pepper, red-pepper flakes and basil, if using.