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bell' alimento

beautiful food doesn't have to be complicated

Maccheroni alla Ricotta (Macaroni with Ricotta)

By Paula |

 

White bowl with Macaroni with Ricotta pasta. Green napkin underneath bowl. Fork to side. Small white bowl of pistachios in background.

How about a pasta dish that you can make with just THREE ingredients? How about a pasta dish you can make in under TEN minutes? Now that is my kind of math 3 ingredients plus 10 minutes ; ) I thought you might like that too!  Close up of white bowl of Macaroni with Ricotta pasta. Small white bowl of pistachios in background.

To me, some of the simplest pasta dishes are the best. This dish fits that bill. It combines maccheroni aka macaroni around these parts ; ) Which is any short tubular pasta shape. Ricotta, and pistachios. That’s it. Well there’s also salt, but that’s a gimme right!

salt cellar partially opened and scattered ziti pasta on cutting board.

I used a ziti rigati because I like the way the ricotta sauce sticks to the grooves of the pasta. Rigatoni would also do the job quite nicely. The hardest part of this recipe is going to be shelling the pistachios. And for me, trying NOT to eat them all before it’s time to use them.

closeup photo of pistachios on cutting board.

I love the bite from the al dente pasta, the creamy way the ricotta cheese coats the pasta and the crunch from the pistachios that hide in the nooks and crannies. Pasta takes me to my happy place : )

White bowl of Macaroni with Ricotta pasta. Green napkin under bowl. Fork to side. Small white bowl of pistachios in background.

You’ll want to be sure to toss the WARM pasta into the ricotta and pistachio mixture immediately. You want them to meet and greet each other quickly ; ) No small chit chat needed. Have your bowl and fork ready, this isn’t one you want to let sit around. Come and get it while it’s HOT! 

 

Maccheroni alla Ricotta {Macaroni with Ricotta}
What you’ll need:
1 pound long tubular pasta – I used Ziti Rigati
salt
1 cup ricotta
1/2 cup pistachios – {shelled} roughly chopped

What to do:
1. Place a large pot generously seasoned with salt on to boil. When boiling, add pasta and cook until al dente. {reserve some of the pasta water}

2. WHILE the pasta is cooking, into a small – medium bowl add ricotta, 4-5 tablespoons of pasta water. Stir to combine. Add pistachios. Stir to combine.

3.  Drain pasta and return to pot. Place the ricotta mixture into pot with pasta. Stir to incorporate. If mixture is too thick, thin with some of the reserved pasta water. Serve immediately.

 

Comments

  3. Lora @cakeduchess says

    I love the flavors! Gorgeous photos. I also love the simplicity of ricotta in my pasta dishes:)

  8. Susan @ SGCC says

    Looks great! My mother used to make this for me all the time when I was little, except she used walnuts instead of pistachios.

  9. Sprinkling of Sugar says

    AGREED!!!! The simplest pasta dishes are always the best! And the dishes I most crave. If I’m trying to be healthy my favorite splurge is always some form of pasta and cheese, it is simply the best. Thanks for this great idea!

  10. Brian @ A Thought For Food says

    Pistachios are one of those things that I can never stop eating if they’re around. Seriously… if they’re around I have to tell people to take them away. I’m that obsessed.

    So this pasta dish includes some of my absolute favorite ingredients.

  13. Georgia Pellegrini says

    This is great…I know friends who eat ricotta on its own because they love it that much…the ricotta in this dish must make the pasta moist and creamy -perfect!