Easy Summer Pasta
I always think that photographs rarely do justice to lightly-sauced pasta dishes. Somehow if you can’t see the pasta covered in a sauce, you cannot imagine the taste. The summer pasta with walnuts and ricotta dish showcased here is light and tasty and perfect to serve in the summer months. It’s a variation of a DeCecco pasta recipe. Although I don’t always have it on hand, I like to use the DeCecco brand because the pasta is extruded from bronze dies, which create grooves in the pasta’s surface that help it hold the sauce better.
I don’t have any financial arrangement with DeCecco, I just love it and when I see it in the store always buy it in several shapes and sizes. When I made this dish with the walnuts, I thought I had some penne in the pantry but I didn’t so I used linguine. {Actually I did, but someone had used most of it.] Although the shape of pasta doesn’t alter the taste of what it’s tossed with, I think this recipe is made best with a shorter pasta such a penne rigate for even bow ties. I think a shorter pasta keeps those little walnut pieces from self-segregating at the bottom of the bowl.
While the pasta water comes to a boil, prep the sauce. While the pasta is boiling, saute the onions and then the tomatoes in a large pan. Carefully mash the potatoes. Watch out for squirting seeds! Let the savory tomato juice mingle with the onions. Add the arugula and the walnuts and cook, stirring, until the arugula is wilted. Remove from the heat and add the ricotta cheese and stir until well-blended
Reserve one-half cup of pasta water before draining the pasta. Stir the drained pasta into the pan. Add the Parmesan cheese and stir all ingredients together. Add the pasta water a couple of tablespoons at a time to reach your desired consistency. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.
Summer Pasta with Walnuts and Ricotta
Yield: Serves 4
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- one pound pasta, preferably a short pasta such as penne
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup finely chopped onions
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 3 cups packed arugula
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 1/4 cup ricotta cheese, part-skim or whole milk
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Directions:
- Prep the sauce while the pasta water comes to a boil.
- Cook pasta according to package directions and drain, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook about 3 minutes until they are translucent.
- Add the grape tomatoes and stir briefly until softened, then slowly mash them with a potato masher. Careful as they will squirt!
- Add arugula and walnuts and cook, stirring constantly, until the greens are wilted.
- Remove the sauce from heat and stir in the ricotta cheese until it's well-blended.
- Add the cooked pasta and the Parmesan cheese. Stir gently.
- Add the reserved pasta water a few tablespoons at a time until reaching the desired constistency.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
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