I don’t understand why ricotta cheese isn’t more popular. Everyone has gone mad for cottage cheese because it’s creamy and high in protein/low in calories, but ricotta cheese is pretty equal in terms of both protein and calories, and arguably much nicer in dishes like pasta.
Here it’s mixed into cooked pasta with a mix of fresh herbs for an incredibly quick, tasty and easy meal with 30g of protein.
It’s fresh, light, creamy and on the table in around 15 minutes. Perfect for a midweek dinner or lunch.
With the herbs, I used a mix of 4 (I always keep a selection in the fridge) but if you only have 2 or 3 then it will still taste great! I used basil, parsley, dill and chives.
You'll need (serves 2):
200g pasta
80g mix of herbs - any mix of basil, mint, parsley, dill, chives, coriander
250g ricotta cheese
1-2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 lemon
30g Parmesan cheese
Cook the pasta according to packet instructions.
Finely chop the herbs.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it, reserving a few tablespoons of the cooking water. Return the pasta to the empty pan, and add the herbs, ricotta, a glug of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add a couple of tablespoons of the pasta water and juice of the lemon. Mix until well combined. Taste and adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Serve and finish with a grating of Parmesan cheese if you like.