The Creamy 15-Minute Lemon Ricotta Pasta That Went Viral on TikTok

The first time I saw @the_pastaqueen on Instagram, I was enraptured. How could someone be that enthusiastic about lemons and life? Before I knew it, I had subscribed to the Royal Court of Pasta newsletter and fallen in love with creator Nadia Caterina Munno's over-the-top Italian persona.

Now, with the help of the Pasta Queen's recipes, I'm aspiring pasta royalty myself. Her Lemon Ricotta Pasta is easily her best dish so far. She says it's touched with the "tears of the gods" (also known as pasta water), and even that lavish description doesn't do this recipe justice!

How To Make The Pasta Queen's Lemon Ricotta Pasta

One of the Pasta Queen's favorite ingredients—bright, juicy lemons from the Amalfi Coast—stars in this recipe's light and creamy pesto. I'm not royalty yet, so I used regular lemons, along with ricotta, Parmigiano Reggiano, garlic, almonds, and plenty of lemon zest.

Boil a pound of pasta in salted water until al dente, then drain (don't rinse), saving a cup of pasta water. 

In a food processor, pulse the zest and juice of 2 lemons, 2 garlic cloves, 4 ounces of chopped Parm-Reggiano, 1/4 cup of blanched almonds, 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, and a pound of ricotta until it's as smooth as possible. (I did this in two batches.)

In a big bowl, toss the lemon ricotta pesto with your pasta until everything is coated, adding pasta water to adjust the consistency, if needed.

Serve with pink peppercorns, fresh basil leaves, lemon zest, or pull a Pasta Queen and add lemon slices!

Tips for Making Lemon Ricotta Pasta

• The Pasta Queen uses the very fun-to-eat Colonne Pompei pasta (aka social media-famous giant fusilli). You can use any sauce-grabbing pasta shape, like farfalle, orecchiette, or cavatelli. I used Rummo Fusillotti, which is like the loose, textured beach wave hair of the fusilli family. 
• Even I was able to achieve a smooth texture after splitting the recipe in half to fit into my three-cup food processor. I had never made a pesto that wasn't loaded with basil, but I've officially leaned into Pesto Summer, in all of its glorious variations.
• I added roughly 2 teaspoons of kosher salt to the sauce. Maybe it's me, but I thought the extra salt helped highlight the umami flavor of the Parmigiano Reggiano and bring out the brightness of the lemon, in honor of Pasta Queen, who wants us to live life to the fullest.
• Munno's garnish of whole pink peppercorns brings a bold look to this dish, but don't be shy about using freshly cracked black pepper instead.
• This recipe is open for add-ins like fresh herbs, steamed vegetables, or roasted chicken. I make this divine lemon ricotta pasta any time I need an Italian vacation in a bowl, even if my adventures only take me as far as the pool in my friends' backyard.
  

After a single bite, my boyfriend asked if I had bookmarked the recipe. "This is something special," he told me. "It's like what you'd get at a really nice Italian restaurant!" (Like the Pasta Queen, my boyfriend knows flattery goes a long way.)