It’s that time of year when we can officially switch from warm and hearty pasta dishes to light and fresh ones. And even pasta salads!
This Penne with Swiss Chard + Lemon Ricotta is the perfect spring-almost-summer pasta, which can be enjoyed warm or chilled for BBQs and picnics. It’s light and flavorful, and I think you’ll love it as much as I do!
Penne with Swiss Chard + Lemon Ricotta
Recipe rundown…
Penne with Swiss Chard + Lemon Ricotta is not only delizioso, but it’s also easy to make. You’ll need a handful of ingredients and about 20 minutes, then it’s pasta time.
Here’s what the recipe calls for:
- pasta
- olive oil
- garlic
- swiss chard
- cherry tomatoes
- oregano
- lemon
- almond ricotta
- basil
- pine nuts
For the pasta, I like penne for this dish, but any short pasta would work. Gemelli, ziti, rigatoni, etc. The key is less about the shape and more about cooking the pasta properly. More on that later.
I like colorful rainbow chard in this recipe
I went with rainbow swiss chard for the greens, which tastes like a hearty spinach. You can sub spinach or kale for the chard if preferred.
The cherry tomatoes are tossed with a little extra-virgin olive oil, oregano, s&p and broiled. This softens the tomatoes and creates juices, which make a nice sauce for the pasta.
TIP: broil cherry tomatoes in a small baking dish to allow the juices to accumulate to use in the pasta
Use cherry or grape tomatoes
For the “cheese” factor here, Kite Hill almond ricotta is my go-to. It’s made with almond milk and is 100% vegan. You can sub traditional ricotta if preferred, but Kite Hill ricotta is airy and flavorful, just like a good ricotta should be! You find can Kite Hill ricotta at most grocery stores, Whole Foods, Fairway, Publix in the south, etc.
Recipe steps…
Easy and straight forward, you can have your pasta on the table in 20 minutes.
- cook your pasta
- broil or roast the tomatoes
- sauté greens + garlic
- mix lemon zest + ricotta
- toss pasta together
- garnish with basil + pine nuts
This recipe is perfect as a main or a side dish
As always, cook your pasta in plenty of well-salted boiling water and no oil needed. Cook until al dente (usually 1 – 2 minutes less than box says) and drain cooked pasta but do not rinse.
It’s also a good idea to always reserve some of the pasta cooking water to add to the final dish if needed. This helps add moisture and/or thin out sauces in pasta dishes, if need be.
Sauté the chard with fresh garlic and broil the tomatoes while the pasta cooks.
Then, mix lemon zest into the ricotta, which brightens the flavor of the pasta and makes it creamy when you toss it all together.
Lastly, garnish with fresh basil and toasted pine nuts to finish. Fresh herbs + toasted nuts always adds fresh flavor and texture to any dish!
You can serve this dish warm or chill it for pasta salad.
Serve it warm, serve it chilled, just serve it!
If you are in the NY/NJ area, check out Stokes Farm. They have a farm stand in Old Tappan, NJ and have farmers market stands in NYC. I get a lot of my greens and herbs from them and their produce is amazing!
Be sure to check out my Instagram page for more recipes and cooking tips!
Want more pasta recipes? Check these out…
Farfalle with Hemp Seed Pesto (vegan, GF)
Spaghetti with Mushroom Bolognese (vegan, GF)
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 15 minutes |
| Servings |
servings
|
- 8 oz uncooked penne pasta
- 1 tbsp + 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 bunch swiss chard or other greens chopped (about 4 cups total)
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 cup crumbled almond ricotta see blog post for brand rec
- 1 handful fresh basil leaves
- 1 handful toasted pine nuts optional
Ingredients
|
|
- cook pasta: bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil and cook penne until al dente (reserve a little of the pasta water when draining)
- make tomatoes: preheat oven to broil on high and line a shallow baking dish with parchment baking paper (for easy cleanup, skip parchment if you don’t have); you’ll want a baking dish small enough to catch juices from the cooked tomatoes
- toss tomatoes with one tablespoon of the olive oil, the oregano, and salt & pepper to taste, add to baking dish, then broil 3 - 5 minutes until “charred” and soft *watching carefully that nothing burns*; set tomatoes and cooking juices aside
- cook swiss chard: heat a medium sauté pan over medium-low heat, then add the remaining one teaspoon of olive oil when hot; cook garlic until soft, about 3 minutes (do not brown garlic), then add chopped chard and cook until just wilted, season to taste with salt & pepper, remove from heat
- make ricotta: mix lemon zest into ricotta, set aside
- assemble pasta: gently toss pasta with tomatoes and their juices, swiss chard, lemon ricotta, basil, and pine nuts if using, serve warm or enjoy chilled or at room temp for pasta salad
Recipe serves 2 as a small main, 4 as a side
Original recipe created by Jerran Boyer
www.healthnutchefs.com