Fettuccine With Ricotta and a Fistful of Mint

The adoration kicked in only after we made some major changes – goat's cheese for ricotta, basil for mint, and the juice of an entire small lemon (otherwise everything exactly as written). The ricotta and mint did not produce anything greater than the sum of its parts, but with extra lemon to lighten it the goat's cheese created a happy marriage with basil and this dish really began to sing!

I have trouble with raw alliums, too. Try chopping the shallot first and letting it steep in the lemon juice a bit before you add everything else. It takes very little time in the acid to soften the effect.

Try this with fromage blanc instead of the ricotta (much more flaverful). I skip the scallions/ onion and usually mix in some other cooked veggie like chopped asparagus or broccoli. One of my favorite pastas .... and no work at all.

In the same theme as Dorie Greenspan's Spoonable Ricotta (Everyday Dorie), this rendition is really tasty too. Not just for pasta but to top potatoes. (I'm thinking this will be particularly good with new potatoes and Spring peas in market in a few weeks.) It is also yummy spread on toast. (Ask me how I know that.) Or as dip for veggies. Or to spread on crackers. Or to eat with a spoon. A good quality ricotta, like Bel Gioioso Con Latte, works as well in reduced fat as whole milk.

I'm thinking of adding fresh cooked peas to this recipe. Really not much more work, and so springy. Or asparagus, though I think peas would work better with the light flavors.

Thinking about doing this with Greek yogurt. I already love pasta and cottage cheese. It's more unctuous, and cheaper, than ricotta. One of my favorite late breakfast/early lunch meals is linquine with those small TJ's frozen French green beans, peas, a little olive oil, cottage cheese, and a shower of parm, fresh cracked pepper. All that's missing is the mint!

This sounds like a perfect take-off for my recently concocted yogurt dressing that I use on salads et al: 1/4 C low fat yogurt, 1-2 T olive oil, 1-2 t water, about 1/2 t each of salt and granulated garlic, 3/4-1 t black pepper and at least 2 T of parmesan cheese -- all shook up in a jar. It sounds like all I have to do is add chopped mint to the pasta, and dump the dressing over it.... I'm in heaven...

Late tonight I made the "sauce" and ate it as a "ricotta snack." It was yummy, no carbs except for the EVOO, and I daresay healthier than the suggested fettuccini dish. The ingredients were a cup of ricotta, a heaping spoon of dried mint, a chopped up scallion, salt and pepper to taste, enough EVOO to loosen the mix, a squirt of lemon, and a chopped anchovy for a special kick.

If you're watching carbs, try zucchini noodles (zoodles) instead of fettuccini. Yum!

FYI. Milk products naturally contain lactose, which is a sugar and a carbohydrate. EVOO is a type of fat and does not contain carbohydrates. Check the ingredient lists on food packaging. Don’t forget to check the portion size which is often NOT the same as the container size.

Important to use fresh ricotta for this recipe, in my view. It is much lighter and not gummy.

My suggestion is to add the (very finely chopped) shallot little by little after you've created the sauce, testing as you add. SInce the sauce is delicate too much shallot will ruin it. Since there are no measurements I didn't know what to expect and ended up with something I couldn't repair because there was too much raw onion taste.

To be clear to all those carb watchers out there, EVOO has 0% carbohydrate.

A welcome and simple way to transition from the meat/potatoes of winter towards a refreshing, lighter Spring. I added garlic paste and a handful of shredded parmesan to the ricotta. This could easily be prepared as a weeknight meal. Definitely a keeper.

This worked out perfectly, especially for a night that we didn't feel like cooking! My husband loves a wetter pasta, so I used the full container of ricotta. Modifications: added 1 large clove of garlic, minced and sauteed along with the shallot. Added zest of one lemon to ricotta mixture. I think the mint went beautifully with this recipe, but basil would be a delightful switch.