Lemon Ricotta Spaghetti with Asparagus

 

One of my all time favorite summer dishes is any kind of creamy, lemony, cheesy pasta. This pasta checks all those boxes, plus the delicious crispy asparagus. I cooked by instinct on this one for the most part, that's why some of the ingredients in the ingredient list are approximate. 

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

2-3 cloves of garlic, diced (to your taste)

Half of a red onion, diced

3/4 cup ricotta cheese, plus more for topping

1 lemon (you'll need juice and zest)

3/4 cup breadcrumbs

1 pound of asparagus

~3/4 pound of spaghetti (more accurately....1 large handful)

Garlic powder for sprinkling

Kosher salt & black pepper

Steps

1. Preheat your oven to 375° Fahrenheit and start boiling a large pot of salted water.
2. Chop the ends off of the asparagus spears and arrange on a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Drizzle the asparagus spears with 1 tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. 
3. When the water starts boiling, add the spaghetti and cook until it's almost done. Save at least 1.5 cups of the spaghetti water. When your oven is preheated, slide the asparagus in for ~15 minutes, or to your preferred level of crispy. 
4. As the spaghetti and asparagus cooks, place a medium-to-large skillet over medium heat. Pour the remaining olive oil in the pan and add the diced garlic. Cook for 30 seconds-1 minute, or until the garlic becomes fragrant. Add the diced onion and cook for another 30s-1min. 
5. Turn the burner heat to low. Squeeze the juice of 1 lemon into the pan and add the ricotta. Add small portions of the pasta water to the pan to thin the ricotta. Stir together. When the pasta is ready, add it to the pan and swirl to combine with the ricotta sauce. As you do this, you'll need to add more pasta water in increments. 
6. Turn the heat off. Sprinkle the pasta with lemon zest and half the breadcrumbs. Stir together, then add the rest. Pull your asparagus out and dollop a spoon of ricotta on your bowl. Enjoy! 

Suggestions

This recipe was super yummy, but I concede it could've been even better. Throwing some shrimp or scallops in the skillet with the garlic, onions, and lemon and adding some chili flakes for spice would absolutely take this to another level. Ricotta cheese can also be a little gummy, so using less ricotta in the pan and substituting with heavy cream would make for a smoother sauce that doesn't need as much pasta water to thin. You can then add more ricotta on top of your bowl to keep the flavor.

I adapted my recipe from this one, but it's pretty different.

Header photo credit