Fettuccine With Ricotta and a Fistful of Mint Recipe (2024)

The adoration kicked in only after we made some major changes – goat's cheese for ricotta, basil for mint, and the juice of an entire small lemon (otherwise everything exactly as written). The ricotta and mint did not produce anything greater than the sum of its parts, but with extra lemon to lighten it the goat's cheese created a happy marriage with basil and this dish really began to sing!

I have trouble with raw alliums, too. Try chopping the shallot first and letting it steep in the lemon juice a bit before you add everything else. It takes very little time in the acid to soften the effect.

Try this with fromage blanc instead of the ricotta (much more flaverful). I skip the scallions/ onion and usually mix in some other cooked veggie like chopped asparagus or broccoli. One of my favorite pastas .... and no work at all.

In the same theme as Dorie Greenspan's Spoonable Ricotta (Everyday Dorie), this rendition is really tasty too. Not just for pasta but to top potatoes. (I'm thinking this will be particularly good with new potatoes and Spring peas in market in a few weeks.) It is also yummy spread on toast. (Ask me how I know that.) Or as dip for veggies. Or to spread on crackers. Or to eat with a spoon. A good quality ricotta, like Bel Gioioso Con Latte, works as well in reduced fat as whole milk.

I'm thinking of adding fresh cooked peas to this recipe. Really not much more work, and so springy. Or asparagus, though I think peas would work better with the light flavors.

Thinking about doing this with Greek yogurt. I already love pasta and cottage cheese. It's more unctuous, and cheaper, than ricotta. One of my favorite late breakfast/early lunch meals is linquine with those small TJ's frozen French green beans, peas, a little olive oil, cottage cheese, and a shower of parm, fresh cracked pepper. All that's missing is the mint!

This sounds like a perfect take-off for my recently concocted yogurt dressing that I use on salads et al: 1/4 C low fat yogurt, 1-2 T olive oil, 1-2 t water, about 1/2 t each of salt and granulated garlic, 3/4-1 t black pepper and at least 2 T of parmesan cheese -- all shook up in a jar. It sounds like all I have to do is add chopped mint to the pasta, and dump the dressing over it.... I'm in heaven...

Late tonight I made the "sauce" and ate it as a "ricotta snack." It was yummy, no carbs except for the EVOO, and I daresay healthier than the suggested fettuccini dish. The ingredients were a cup of ricotta, a heaping spoon of dried mint, a chopped up scallion, salt and pepper to taste, enough EVOO to loosen the mix, a squirt of lemon, and a chopped anchovy for a special kick.

If you're watching carbs, try zucchini noodles (zoodles) instead of fettuccini. Yum!

FYI. Milk products naturally contain lactose, which is a sugar and a carbohydrate. EVOO is a type of fat and does not contain carbohydrates. Check the ingredient lists on food packaging. Don’t forget to check the portion size which is often NOT the same as the container size.

Important to use fresh ricotta for this recipe, in my view. It is much lighter and not gummy.

My suggestion is to add the (very finely chopped) shallot little by little after you've created the sauce, testing as you add. SInce the sauce is delicate too much shallot will ruin it. Since there are no measurements I didn't know what to expect and ended up with something I couldn't repair because there was too much raw onion taste.

To be clear to all those carb watchers out there, EVOO has 0% carbohydrate.

A welcome and simple way to transition from the meat/potatoes of winter towards a refreshing, lighter Spring. I added garlic paste and a handful of shredded parmesan to the ricotta. This could easily be prepared as a weeknight meal. Definitely a keeper.

This worked out perfectly, especially for a night that we didn't feel like cooking! My husband loves a wetter pasta, so I used the full container of ricotta. Modifications: added 1 large clove of garlic, minced and sauteed along with the shallot. Added zest of one lemon to ricotta mixture. I think the mint went beautifully with this recipe, but basil would be a delightful switch.

Didn’t want crunchy bits of shallot so I grated on a microplane, added lots of lemon plus salt and parm to finish, made sure to include red pepper flakes. Also added just blanched frozen petite peas. Lemon zest would be welcome here too!

Preserved lemon, basil, and spinach were my adds. Great!

I made this tonight and added a few heaping tablespoons of nutritional yeast and a cup of thawed frozen peas. Tossed as directed with the mix of ricotta etc and topped it with fresh grated Parmesan cheese! A nice umami from the nutritional yeast and makes a meal or can be a nice side dish to salmon or something if you’re a meat eater. I’m a vegetarian but could totally see it as a side dish to something grilled.

Either I didn’t dice the shallot tiny enough or my palette is not refined because all I could taste in this was raw shallots and it was really not fun.

This remarkable dish convinced my pasta-phobic partner. The delicate balance of raw shallot and the mint accenting the creamy ricotta is pure delight! Quick, easy and brilliant!

I don’t like mint and I saw many reviews mentioning the intensity of the shallots, so I used chives instead. I also added thinly sliced zucchini cooked for 2 minutes in garlic butter, and it was wonderful all together. You might want to save some pasta water to make a silkier sauce.

It’s delicious as written!

I add a cup or two of frozen peas in the last two minutes of boiling time for the pasta so that I get some vegetables with my dinner.

so, if I use a half pound of fettuccini, or perhaps 2 lbs, do I still use the same amount of onion or mint? I guess not, so I'm thinking a few more details would be nice. Perhaps: for every pound of fettuccini you use, about x amount of ricotta and a handful of mint, and about 1/2 to 1 shallot

Really good! I added chopped up sugar snap peas which are in season in spring and add a fun crunch.

The shallot overwhelms the dish, as at least one commenter noted. You couldn’t taste the mint or even the lemon. I used half a shallot and minced it very fine. Overall, a rare disappointment from the No-recipe recipes.

Delicious! Made twice this week due to abundant homemade ricotta. Variations included sautéing a clove of garlic in EVOO along with some minced preserved lemon, no shallot or onion. Just to warm up and not have raw garlic. Also chopped up preserved lemon flesh and mixed in along with mint. Great combo.

Amazing, easy recipe, the mix of mint and lemon is great. I read the notes in the comments and did sautée the shallot previously. Also added a little bit of lemon zest at the end.

Yes to this. I’m down for any excuse to eat ricotta. Made with ricotta and a hunk of goat cheese that happened to be in the fridge. Sautéed shallot with 2 cloves garlic before adding to cheese. Lots of pepper and salt needed. Used basil only because I have a ton growing on my deck but mint would be great too. Red pepper on top (not in big batch because…kids). Ate 4 big forkfuls over the sink bedsore anyone else had a chance at it. In the meal plan rotation for sure.

I loved this! Followed the guide here, but I did add some roasted corn we had in the fridge and topped with roasted and chopped pistachios- it was excellent and very quick!