Basil Ricotta Macaroni and Cheese
Fresh ricotta and sweet basil lighten up this comfort food pasta dinner with this recipe for basil ricotta macaroni and cheese!
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Diet: Vegetarian
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 ounces short pasta (elbows, cavatappi, etc)
- 1/4 cup soft butter
- 2 cups fresh ricotta
- 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped (with a few extra leaves for garnish)
- Fresh ground pepper
Instructions
- Cook pasta in heavily salted water until al dente. Reserve 1 cup of cooking water and drain. Return to pot.
- Add butter and stir until butter is melted. Add ricotta and stir gently until ricotta is worked into the pasta.
- Pour a little pasta water into the pot until you have a very light sauce. Stir in chopped basil.
- Divide among plates. Grind fresh pepper on top, scatter basil leaves on each plate and serve.
Notes
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- Pasta: Any short pasta will work – think penne, elbows, bowties and so on!
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- Ricotta Cheese: This is the time to use the good stuff! Look for fresh ricotta in the fancy cheese section of your grocery store, or make your own ricotta in ten speedy minutes!
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- Basil: If you don’t have any in your garden, look for it in the produce section of your grocery store.
Find it online: https://www.framedcooks.com/basil-ricotta-macaroni-and-cheese-2/