Springy Lemon Penne

I was visiting my sister a few weeks ago and we went to this amazing Italian restaurant near her house for lunch one day.

We have been before and it is always great, but this time it was beyond amazing!

One of the things we ordered was this gnocchi with a light cream sauce, with lemon scented ricotta on top, it was to die for.

I wanted to do a version of that at home. My version of the pasta turned out really good, but that gnocchi, I still dream about it!

What you need,

Click Here To Print

2 cups penne noodles

1 tbsp. butter

1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced

¾ cup green peas, fresh or frozen

1 pint tiny tomatoes

4 tbsp. butter

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup heavy cream

Juice of 1 lemon

½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1 cup ricotta cheese

Zest of 1 lemon

Salt and Pepper to taste

Cook the pasta noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile in a small pan melt 1 tablespoon of butter over medium heat. Add the zucchini and sauté for 3-4 minutes until it begins to soften slightly. Add the tomatoes and cook for a few more minutes until the tomatoes soften. Toss in the peas and turn off the heat.

In a large pan melt the 4 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for a minute or so until the garlic is fragrant. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Cook for a 2-3 minutes until the sauce begins to thicken a little bit. Stir in the parmesan cheese and lemon juice. Season the sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the cooked pasta and the veggies and let everything bubble together for 2-3 minutes.

In a small bowl stir together the ricotta cheese and lemon zest. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve the pasta with a scoop of the lemony ricotta right on top.

What a delicious pasta this turned out to be.  It is so light and clean and wonderful.

Enjoy!

Jen