Lemon Ricotta Rigatoni with Peas
Ridged rigatoni wrapped in a creamy lemon-ricotta sauce with sweet green peas, gently warmed garlic and fresh basil. An Italian-inspired pasta dinner for four.
A bowl of rigatoni can feel generous without a long-simmered sauce. Here, whole-milk ricotta coats the ridges, lemon adds a clean finish and peas bring little bursts of sweetness. Garlic is softened gently in olive oil before the sauce is mixed away from direct heat.
This is an original Italian-inspired home-cooking recipe, not a claim of regional authenticity. The creamy texture comes from ricotta, Parmesan and a measured splash of pasta water. There is no cream, butter, bacon or tomato. This recipe has not been kitchen-tested.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Mixing the ricotta away from direct heat helps preserve its soft texture. Warm pasta water loosens the cheese gradually instead of leaving a heavy paste. Cooking the peas separately lets you follow their package directions without overcooking the rigatoni. Ridged pasta holds the light coating in every bite.
Before you start · Equipment
Kitchen scale, large pasta pot, small saucepan for peas, wide skillet, large heatproof mixing bowl, whisk, fine grater, knife, cutting board, colander and measuring jug.
Everything you’ll need.
Get your ingredients ready, then follow the quantities in the recipe below.
See ingredient amounts
This guide describes the original 4 dinner portions. Use the recipe card for amounts adjusted to your chosen yield.
A creamy pasta with a different character
If you enjoy cheese-based pasta, save spaghetti carbonara with guanciale for another dinner: its egg-and-pork sauce is a different dish. For a tomato-led option, try tomato, white bean and spinach orzo. Neither linked recipe is an ingredient addition to these lemony bowls.
Fresh salad for a larger table
A small serving of lemon kale and apple salad with pumpkin seeds adds crunch beside soft rigatoni. For an earthier contrast, choose roasted beet, goat cheese and walnut salad. These optional sides change the overall meal nutrition; the second salad also adds walnut and milk allergens.
Start with soup or share some bread
For a smaller pasta portion in a multi-course meal, lemon red lentil soup with carrots makes a warming starter. A piece of olive oil focaccia with sea salt can be shared at the table. Soup and bread are separate recipes and are excluded from the pasta nutrition estimate.
Two other Italian-inspired evenings
For a slower cooked meal another day, try chicken cacciatore with peppers and mushrooms. When you want a baked pasta centerpiece instead, choose beef lasagna with spinach and ricotta. The ricotta in that layered bake has a different role from the off-heat sauce here.
Keep the cheese away from direct heat
Whisk hot pasta water into the ricotta gradually in a heatproof bowl. Fold in hot drained pasta promptly. A small amount of fine curd is normal, but vigorous boiling can make the sauce coarse and dry.
Add water by texture, not by habit
Reserve 300 g cooking water, but expect to use roughly 150–250 g in total. Rigatoni brands, ricotta moisture and draining change the amount needed. Add a little at a time until the sauce clings to the pasta. Leftover reserved water is discarded.
Cook the peas separately
Frozen peas are not a raw garnish. Use their packet cooking instructions and drain before mixing. Cooking them separately keeps their timing independent of the rigatoni package.
About the nutrition estimate
The estimate includes dry pasta, all peas, usable ricotta, Parmesan, oil, garlic, lemon, basil, measured salt and pepper, divided into four portions. Cooking and reserved water are unsalted. The written source below links to the USDA tables used for the calculation; actual brands and cooked serving weights vary.
About the ingredients
- Rigatoni
Use 360 g dry plain wheat rigatoni. Ridges and hollow centers catch the sauce; cooking time follows the actual package. Fresh pasta and egg pasta have different weights and timings.
- Whole-milk ricotta
Plain pasteurized whole-milk ricotta gives body without cream. Weigh 250 g usable cheese after pouring off visible free whey. Ricotta naturally has fine curds; it will not become the same texture as processed cream sauce.
- Lemon juice and zest
Measure 50 g strained juice and 4 g yellow zest separately. Lemon size and acidity vary. Avoid white pith. Extra lemon slices are not part of the recipe.
- Peas
Use 250 g plain frozen green peas, weighed frozen. Cook them separately according to their package; this prevents uneven pasta cooking and accounts for packets requiring longer heating.
- Parmesan and garlic oil
Grate 40 g hard Parmesan finely so it disperses. All 30 g olive oil and 8 g garlic are retained in the sauce. Traditional Parmesan may use animal rennet; choose an appropriate alternative if needed, recognizing that nutrition and allergens can change.
- Salt and allergens
All 3 g salt is measured into the sauce, with no salt in cooking water. Wheat and milk are allergens; inspect all packages for egg or other warnings. No gluten-free, low-sodium or certified vegetarian claim is made.
How to make Lemon Ricotta Rigatoni with Peas
Prepare lemon, basil and cheeses. Boil rigatoni in unsalted water and cook frozen peas separately according to their package. Warm garlic gently in olive oil. Whisk ricotta, Parmesan, lemon, salt and pepper with hot pasta water, then fold in the garlic oil, pasta, peas and basil away from direct heat. Divide into four bowls.
1. Prepare the lemon, basil and cheeses
2. Boil the rigatoni and reserve cooking water
3. Cook the peas and gently warm the garlic
4. Whisk the lemon ricotta sauce off the heat
5. Fold in the pasta, peas and basil
6. Divide into four bowls and serveWatch How To Make It
chefzelish.com
Lemon Ricotta Rigatoni with Peas
Ridged rigatoni wrapped in a creamy lemon-ricotta sauce with sweet green peas, gently warmed garlic and fresh basil. An Italian-inspired pasta dinner for four.
Ingredients
0 / 12 readyIngredient amounts for 4 dinner portions
Pasta and peas
Lemon ricotta sauce
Let’s make it.
- Prepare and cook
Prepare the lemon, basil and cheeses
Wash the lemon and basil under running water and dry them. Finely grate 4 g yellow lemon zest, avoiding bitter white pith, then squeeze and strain 50 g juice. Finely grate 40 g Parmesan, mince 8 g peeled garlic and weigh 12 g basil leaves. Tear 8 g basil for mixing and keep 4 g for serving. Put 250 g usable pasteurized whole-milk ricotta in a large heatproof mixing bowl; pour off any obvious free whey before weighing. Keep dairy refrigerated until needed and use clean tools.
- Prepare and cook
Boil the rigatoni and reserve cooking water
Bring 3000 g water to a rolling boil in a large pot; add no salt or oil. Add 360 g dry rigatoni and stir well. Boil uncovered, stirring occasionally, for the package time until al dente, with no chalky raw center. Top up with boiling plain water if needed to keep the pasta moving. Before draining, carefully reserve 300 g hot cooking water in a heatproof jug. Drain the rigatoni without rinsing. Begin the peas, garlic and sauce while the pasta cooks so it does not sit drained and dry.
- Prepare and cook
Cook the peas and gently warm the garlic
Cook 250 g plain frozen peas in a separate small saucepan of boiling plain water for the package time, usually 3–5 minutes, until fully hot and tender. Follow any longer package instructions, then drain; this water is discarded. Meanwhile warm 30 g olive oil with the minced garlic in a wide skillet over low heat for 1–2 minutes, stirring until fragrant and lightly softened. Do not brown it. Remove the skillet from heat and scrape all garlic and oil into a small heatproof bowl so residual pan heat cannot scorch it.
- Mix and serve
Whisk the lemon ricotta sauce off the heat
To the ricotta bowl add all 40 g grated Parmesan, 50 g lemon juice, 4 g zest, 3 g fine salt and 0.5 g black pepper. Whisk until evenly combined. Slowly whisk in 100 g of the reserved hot unsalted pasta water, adding it in two portions. Stir in all the warm garlic and olive oil. The sauce should be creamy and loose enough to coat pasta; some fine ricotta curds are normal. Keep the bowl away from a burner. Do not boil the cheese sauce or add cream, butter or extra oil.
- Mix and serve
Fold in the pasta, peas and basil
Add all freshly drained hot rigatoni and cooked peas to the heatproof sauce bowl. Fold gently with a large spoon until the sauce coats the ridges. Add more reserved hot pasta water in roughly 25 g portions only as needed, using about 150–250 g total including the 100 g already in the sauce; do not automatically add the entire jug. Fold in the reserved 8 g torn basil. The sauce should cling softly, not pool like soup. If pasta has cooled while waiting, warm it with the peas and a splash of plain water before adding to the cheese bowl; avoid boiling the finished sauce.
- Mix and serve
Divide into four bowls and serve
Divide all the rigatoni, peas and sauce evenly among four warm bowls, scraping the mixing bowl clean. Finish with the remaining 4 g basil, divided evenly. No extra cheese, oil, lemon wedges or other garnish is included. Serve promptly because ricotta sauce thickens as it stands. Refrigerate leftovers in small shallow containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour above 32°C/90°F, at 4°C/40°F or below. Use within 3–4 days and before any earlier dairy package limit. Reheat with a little water, stirring gently, until at least 74°C/165°F throughout; the texture will be less silky.
Nutrition per serving
1 of 4 complete pasta portions, with all peas, cheese, garlic oil and measured salt. Estimates may vary with ingredients and brands.
- Calories
- 603 kcal
- Protein
- 25.9 g
- Carbohydrates
- 79.8 g
- Fat
- 19.9 g
- Saturated fat
- 8.2 g
- Fiber
- 6 g
- Sugar
- 6.2 g
- Sodium
- 555 mg
Checked 11/5/2026. Values are per the serving described above, regardless of recipe yield.
Notes from the kitchen.
Helpful tips
Allow about 15 minutes preparation and 20 minutes cooking, with pea cooking, garlic warming and sauce mixing overlapping the pasta. Serve promptly. The sauce is mixed off heat; do not boil ricotta. All cooking water is unsalted and all 3 g salt goes into the sauce.
Make it your own
Contains wheat and milk. Check actual pasta for egg warnings and every package for other allergens. Traditional Parmesan commonly uses animal rennet; no certified vegetarian claim. Replacements change ingredients and nutrition. Use pasteurized dairy and follow earlier package use-by and storage limits.
Storage & freezing
Chill in small shallow containers within 2 hours, or within 1 hour when above 32°C/90°F. Refrigerate at 4°C/40°F or below for 3–4 days, respecting earlier dairy limits. Reheat gently with a splash of water and stir until at least 74°C/165°F throughout. Sauce texture may become less silky; freezing is not recommended for texture.
At the table
One portion is one quarter of the complete recipe with all cheese, peas, measured salt and garlic oil. Nutrition uses dry-pasta input and frozen-pea composition, with documented USDA generic proxies. Cooking losses, drained starch, brand differences and finished bowl weights are unmeasured. Unsalted water adds no nutrients; linked sides and alternative dinners are excluded.
A little something delicious.
Keep this recipe close for the next time the craving strikes.
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Spaghetti Carbonara with Guanciale
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Beef Lasagna with Spinach and Ricotta
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