FUSILLI WITH RICOTTA & SPINACH

Serves ???

(via America’s Test Kitchen: The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook)

 

454g fusilli

Salt and pepper

454g (16 cups) baby spinach, chopped coarse

3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

4 garlic cloves, minced

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

⅛ tsp cayenne pepper

11 oz (1⅓ cups) whole-milk ricotta cheese

¼ cup heavy cream

1 tsp grated lemon zest plus 2 teaspoons juice

1 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (½ cup), plus extra for serving

 

Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 Tbsp salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Stir spinach into pot with pasta and cook for 30 seconds. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain pasta-spinach mixture and return it to pot.

 

Meanwhile, heat 2 Tbsp oil, garlic, nutmeg, and cayenne in small saucepan over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Off heat, whisk in ⅓ cup ricotta, cream, lemon zest and juice, and ¾ tsp salt until smooth. In bowl, whisk remaining 1 cup ricotta, remaining 1 Tbsp oil, ¼ tsp pepper, and ⅛ tsp salt together until smooth.

 

Add cooked ricotta-cream mixture and Parmesan to pasta and toss to combine. Let pasta rest, tossing frequently, until sauce has thickened slightly and coats pasta, 2 to 4 minutes. Add reserved cooking water as needed to adjust consistency. Transfer pasta to serving platter and dot evenly with seasoned ricotta mixture. Serve with extra Parmesan.