Pasta with Ricotta and Tomato Sauce, a quick pasta recipe featuring a ricotta-based creamy sauce. It comes together in less than 20 minutes and is so easy to make for any meal!
This delicious tomato ricotta pasta will definitely have you coming back for seconds. It’s a twist on simple tomato pasta, using ricotta for extra creaminess and fresh flavors from tomatoes and basil. Simple, easy, and flavorful!
This recipe is part of the Home Pasta Lunch Series, which includes easy pasta recipes designed for one person to make on their lunch break. Add this recipe to your work-from-home lunch menu!
Here are a few reasons why you should make Tomato and Ricotta Pasta:
- It’s easy to make. Tomato and ricotta pasta can be made in a pinch. After just a few steps, it will be ready for you to enjoy.
- It uses just a few ingredients. This recipe comes together with simple ingredients that you likely already have in your fridge or pantry! All you need is pasta, olive oil, onions, tomatoes, basil, ricotta, and parmigiano reggiano .
- It’s tasty. With classic Italian flavors from fresh tomatoes and basil, you won’t be able to get enough of this delicious pasta.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Penne pasta: The type of noodle used in this dish. If you don’t have penne, you can subsitute it with rigatoni, bowtie pasta, or rotini.
- Olive oil: An Italian kitchen staple! Adds flavor to pasta dishes.
- Onion: This recipe includes sauted onions, which enhance the flavor.
- Cherry tomatoes: A key ingredient in this recipe! You’ll cook the tomatoes along with olive oil, basil, and onions until they burst and become sauce-like, then mix them with ricotta and pasta to finish off the dish.
- Fresh basil: A flavorful herb that adds freshness.
- Ricotta: An Italian whey cheese that makes this dish extra creamy!
- Grated parmigiano reggiano: You’ll mix 2-3 tbsp parmigiano reggiano in with the pasta, and you can add more for garnish.
- Salt: Finish off the flavor of the pasta by adding salt to taste.
How to make Tomato and Ricotta Pasta: Step by Step
Cook the pasta: Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt, and drop the penne in. Cook until it’s before al dente (about 2-3 minutes before it’s done cooking, remove it from the pot and place it into the sauce – it will finish cooking in the sauce)
Heat onion, tomatoes, and basil: While the water is boiling/pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a pan. Add the onion and saute until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and basil, season with salt. Cook down until the tomatoes burst and release their juices, about 8-10 minutes.
Mix veggies with pasta: Once the pasta is ready, add it to the pan along with a ladle of pasta water. Continue to cook the pasta in the pan until the pasta water is absorbed and is al dente. If it needs more time to cook, add more pasta water.
Add ricotta to the pan. Stir ingredients together and add pasta water if needed. Sprinkle in parmigiano reggiano and mix one more time. Plate and top with more parmigiano reggiano if desired!
FAQ
What makes ricotta unique is that it doesn’t melt when heated! It does not melt in sauce, which makes it perfect for pasta dishes as it holds its texture and mixes with it nicely.
To make ricotta cheese pasta sauce, simply stir ricotta with ingredients like cooked tomatoes, olive oil, herbs, and spices. It is typically added during the final step of making pasta sauce.
You can use extra ricotta cheese to make lasagna or add it to pizza. Another way to use extra ricotta cheese is in pasta sauce! You can also add it to egg scramles or fruit-based desserts, or make it into a dip for vegetables.
How to store and reheat
If you have leftovers, store the ricotta and tomato pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat, heat a bit of olive oil in a nonstick pan and saute until warmed through.
Top tips
- We used fresh tomatoes in this recipe, but you can use crushed strained tomatoes as well, or canned peeled plum tomatoes
- Can substitute garlic for the onions if you prefer.
More easy Italian pasta recipes
Looking for more Italian pasta recipes? Give my other pasta dishes from the Work-From-Home Pasta Lunch Series a try:
- Creamy Ricotta Pasta
- Sun Dried Tomato Spaghetti
- Pancetta and Zucchini Pasta
- Tuna Spaghetti
- Spinach Penne Pasta
If you tried making this Tomato and Ricotta Pasta, or any other recipe on the blog, please let me know what you thought of it in the comments below. I love hearing from you! You can follow me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest to see more delicious food and what I’ve been up to.
Pasta With Ricotta And Tomato Sauce
Pasta with Ricotta and Tomato Sauce, a quick pasta recipe featuring a ricotta-based creamy sauce. It comes together in less than 20 minutes and is so easy to make for any meal!
Ingredients
- 100 grams penne pasta
- 2 tbsp olive oil extra virgin
- 1 tbsp onion chopped
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 tbsp fresh basil torn into pieces
- 1/3 cup ricotta
- 2-3 tbsp grated parmigiano reggiano, plus more for garnish
- salt to taste
Instructions
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Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt, and drop the penne in. Cook until it's before al dente (about 2-3 minutes before it's done cooking, remove it from the pot and place it into the sauce – it will finish cooking in the sauce)
-
While the water is boiling/pasta is cooking, heat olive oil in a pan. Add the onion along with and sauté until onion is tender, about 3-5 minutes.
-
Add the halved cherry tomatoes, the basil, and season with salt, and cook down until burst, and they release their juices, about 8-10 minutes.
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By this time, the pasta should be ready to add to the pan. Add the penne to the pan, along with a ladle of pasta water.
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Continue to cook the pasta in the pan until the pasta water is absorbed and it is al dente. If it needs more time to cook, add more pasta water.
-
Add the ricotta to the pan, and stir everything together. Add pasta water if needed. Sprinkle in parmigiano reggiano and mix one more time. Plate and top with more parmigiano reggiano if desired!
Recipe Notes
- We used fresh tomatoes in this recipe, but you can used crushed strained tomatoes as well, or canned peeled plum tomatoes
- Can substitute garlic for the onions if you prefer.
