Weeknight
Lemon ricotta pasta with brown-butter basil
Five ingredients, one pan, the kind of dinner that feels like a small kindness to yourself.
Use the best lemon you can find. Worth the extra zest.
Method
- 01
Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the pasta until just shy of al dente. Scoop out a mugful of pasta water before draining.
- 02
While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a wide pan over medium heat. Let it foam, swirl, and cook until the milk solids are nut-brown and smell toasty — about 3 minutes. Pull off the heat.
- 03
Stir the ricotta, lemon zest, half the juice and the parmesan into the brown butter with a generous splash of pasta water until smooth and glossy.
- 04
Add the drained pasta and toss, loosening with more pasta water until the sauce coats every strand. Taste — more lemon, more salt, more pepper.
- 05
Tear in the basil, divide between bowls, finish with parmesan and a last grind of pepper.
Keep cooking
