Penne With Ricotta And Asparagus Recipes

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.

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 WITH ASPARAGUS AND CHERRY TOMATOES (SPRING)

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta water.
• In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the asparagus, season with the salt and pepper, and cook for 3 minutes until slightly soft. Add the cherry tomatoes and peas. Cook for 2 minutes. Pour the chicken stock into the pan and bring the mixture to a simmer. Cook until the tomatoes start to burst and the stock is reduced by half, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer the asparagus mixture to a large serving bowl. Add the cooked pasta and 1/2 of the Parmesan. Toss well, adding reserved pasta water, if needed, to loosen the pasta. Garnish with the remaining Parmesan and chopped basil.

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 AND BASIL

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and red pepper; sauté until garlic is golden, about 2 minutes. Add asparagus, tomatoes, stock and 1/4 cup sliced basil. Cook until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Transfer to large bowl.
• Pour sauce over pasta. Add cheese, parsley and 1/4 cup chopped basil. Toss to coat. Season with salt and pepper.

PENNE WITH ASPARAGUS CARBONARA

Steps:

• Snap off the ends of the asparagus. If the stalks are thick, peel the bottoms. Slant-cut the asparagus in 1-inch pieces. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet. Add garlic and cook on medium-low until the garlic is fragrant. Add asparagus and stir-fry until al dente, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook until al dente. In a medium-size bowl, beat eggs enough to blend them. Gradually whisk 1/2 cup of the pasta water into the eggs. Drain pasta and add to skillet. Add remaining oil and toss with asparagus over low heat, just enough to combine and warm the ingredients. Season with salt and pepper. Remove pan from heat.
• Very slowly stir about half the egg mixture into the pasta and asparagus, mixing everything constantly. Don't worry if some of the egg scrambles a bit. Quickly stir the cheese into remaining eggs, pour over the ingredients in the skillet and mix. Fold in tarragon. Serve immediately.

PENNE W/RICOTTA & ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring large pot of water to boil,add salt Add asparagus:cook until tender/firm(4min); lift out w/tongs transfer to ice bath; cut into 1/4 slices,leaving tips intact Bring water back to boil,add penne Rub lrg serving bowl w/garlic Add ricotta,olive oil & 1/4 cup of pasta cooking water;blend When the pasta is done,drain it(reserving some water) and add it to the ricotta mixture. Top w/asparagus and half the parmesan,then fold everything together.Season w/salt,adding reserved pasta water if needed. Divide among 4 bowls and sprinkle with remaining cheese.

PENNE WITH RICOTTA AND PEAS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to boil, and salt it. In a separate pot, cook peas in boiling salted water to cover, until just tender, about 3 minutes. Drain, rinse in cold water, drain again and set aside.
• Cook pasta in the large pot. While it is cooking, mix ricotta, butter and half the Parmesan in a warm bowl. When pasta is almost done, remove about a cup of its cooking water, and use as much as you need to make ricotta mixture into a sauce.
• Toss pasta with ricotta mixture and peas. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper, add more cooking water if necessary, and serve, passing remaining Parmesan at the table.

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