Penne With Ricotta And Pine Nuts Recipes

ONE-POT PENNE WITH SPINACH, RICOTTA, AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven, tossing occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes; set aside.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook according to manufacturer's directions. Add spinach during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain; return pasta and spinach to pot. Add oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Toss well.
• Serve immediately, topped with ricotta, pine nuts, and Parmesan.

WHIPPED RICOTTA WITH RAISINS AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Whisk 3 tablespoons water, 2 tablespoons vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon honey and a pinch of salt in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and add the raisins. Cook until reduced by half, 6 to 8 minutes. Let the raisins cool in the liquid, then drain.
• Meanwhile, whisk the remaining 1 teaspoon each vinegar and honey with the olive oil, a pinch of salt and a few grinds of pepper in a small bowl; set aside.
• Combine the ricotta, capers, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper in a food processor; pulse a few times. Transfer to a bowl and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Top with the raisins, pine nuts and parsley. Serve with baguette slices.

PENNE WITH PESTO

Steps:

• Meanwhile, pluck the basil leaves from the stems (you should have about 2 cups leaves). Wash the leaves in a large bowl of cold water and dry in a salad spinner or pat dry with paper towels. Smash and peel the garlic.
• Put the basil, garlic, and pine nuts in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped. With the processor running, gradually add the olive oil and process until the pesto is smooth. Transfer the pesto to a large bowl and stir in the cheese. Season with the salt and some pepper.
• Bring a large pot of cold water to a boil over high heat and salt it generously. Add the penne and boil, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and save about 1/4 cup pasta cooking water. Add the pasta to the bowl. Use tongs and toss with enough of the cooking water so the pesto coats the pasta evenly. Season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
• Upgrades: a. Make the pesto creamy by adding 1/4 cup ricotta cheese when processing the basil, garlic, and pine nuts. This is great with tortellini or ravioli. b. Top dressed pesto pasta with 1/2 pound diced large or halved small fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini), 3 medium tomatoes cut in large chunks, and 1/2 cup pitted black olives, (we like kalamata for this), roughly chopped. c. Add cooked 1 to 2 cups chicken or shrimp.
• Twists on Pesto: In place of basil, try the following combination: 1 cup parsley, 1 cup fresh spinach leaves, 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves. Substitute walnuts for the pine nuts

SPINACH PENNE WITH RICOTTA AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spread the pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in the oven, tossing occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes; set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the spinach penne until al dente according to package directions, adding the fresh spinach during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain; return the pasta and spinach to the pot.
• Add the olive oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Toss well.
• Serve immediately, topped with the ricotta, pine nuts, and Parmesan.

PENNE WITH BROWN BUTTER, ARUGULA, AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• For the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, salt, and pepper until smooth. Set aside.
• For the pasta: 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, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain and reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.
• In a high-sided skillet, whisk the butter over medium heat until melted. Simmer until foamy. Continue to cook until the butter has a nutty aroma and turns a caramel color, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Add the pasta, dressing, arugula, tomatoes, Parmesan, pine nuts, and capers. Toss until coated, adding the reserved pasta water, 1 tablespoon at a time to loosen the sauce, if needed. Transfer to a large bowl and serve.

SPINACH & RICOTTA PENNE

Steps:

• Cook the pasta following pack instructions until al dente, about 12 mins.
• Meanwhile, heat the oil in a deep frying pan over a medium heat and cook the garlic and leeks for 5 mins, stirring until soft. Add the spinach, cover and cook for 3 mins more until wilted. Stir well.
• Mix the ricotta with the milk, cheese and a grating of nutmeg. Drain the pasta (reserving a mugful of the water), and add it to the veg. Pour over the ricotta mixture and toss well to combine. Add 3-4 tbsp of the reserved pasta water to loosen a little, then serve.

PENNE RIGATE WITH MIXED GREENS AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Cook penne in boiling salted water in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot until al dente or according to package directions, then drain in a colander.
• Combine butter, oil, and pine nuts in cleaned and dried pot and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until nuts are pale golden, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 1 minute. Stir in greens and cook, stirring, until they wilt, about 3 minutes. Add penne, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Stir in cheese and serve immediately with additional cheese on the side.

PENNE WITH RICOTTA AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• 1. Spread pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake in a preheated 350 oven for 6 to 8 minutes or til golden. Cook penne in large pot of boiling salted water using package directions.
• 2. Add spinach during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain. Return pasta and spinach to pot. Stir in olive oil and generous amounts of salt and pepper. Serve topped with the pine nuts, ricotta cheese and Parmesan cheese. Serves 6

SPINACH PENNE WITH RICOTTA AND PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Toast pine nuts in oven until golden.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook penne according to package directions, add the fresh spinach during the last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain and return to the pot.
• Add the oil and season generously with salt and pepper. Toss well to combine, and add the pine nuts, ricotta and Parmesan.