One-Pot Ricotta Lemon Pasta
Tags: Dinner Instant Pot Italian Pasta
Yield: 5
- 14 oz (400 g) fusilli pasta
- 6.5 cups water
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tbsp lemon zest about 1 lemon
- 3 tbsp lemon juice about 1-1.5 lemons
- 1 cup (250 g) ricotta cheese
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup cooking pasta water
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp chili flakes optional but very nice
- 1 tbsp parsley for garnish optional
- Add dry pasta, water and salt to the Instant Pot. The water should just cover the pasta.
- Secure and lock the lid and set the Instant Pot to 5 minutes on HIGH pressure. The pressure will take about 10-12 minutes to build up and the timer will start. Once the timer is done, do a quick release to depressurize the pot.
- Halfway through, the steam jet will get a bit spurty, which is pretty normal when cooking pasta. You can hover a towel above the steam jet to catch some of the liquid.
- While pasta is cooking, zest the lemon and squeeze the juice; dice the garlic.
- Scoop about 1/2 cup of the pasta water and set aside. Strain the rest of the liquid and leave the pasta in the sieve. Return the pot to the Instant Pot base.
- Press the Saute function and add the butter and garlic to the Instant Pot. Cook for a couple of minutes until garlic starts to get golden. Add the lemon zest and stir through. Add 1/2 cup of the pasta water and stir through. Press Cancel to stop the Saute process.
- Now add the ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and lemon juice (about 3 tbsp). Stir the sauce until the cheeses have melted and combined. Then add the pasta and fold through the sauce.
- Garnish with a little fresh parsley or basil and chili flakes (optional but pairs well).
- Cook cubed chicken or salmon in a skillet while the pasta is cooking and add to sauce when adding pasta.
