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–+ servings
plate full of linguine with cherry tomatoes and basil.
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Easy Tomato and Ricotta Pasta

Delicious tomato and ricotta pasta with capers and basil. A simple dish perfect for a fast weeknight meal; the sauce will be ready by the time the pasta is cooked.
Course Main Course, Pasta Recipes
Cuisine Italian
Prep Time 10 minutes
15 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 647kcal
Author Adina

Equipment

  • Large pot
  • Large skillet/frying pan

Ingredients

  • 1 lb linguine 450 g
  • 14 oz cherry tomatoes 400 g, Note 1
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 1 ½ tablespoons capers
  • ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 9 oz ricotta 250 g
  • small bunch of basil
  • fine sea salt and ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Cook pasta according to the package instructions. Reserve about 1 cup of water and drain the rest (Note 2).
  • Make the sauce while the pasta cooks.
  • Chopping: Halve the cherry tomatoes and set them aside. Peel the garlic, leave the cloves whole, but crush them lightly with your palm. Roughly chop the capers and set them aside. Chop the basil and set it aside.
  • Roast garlic: Heat the oil in a large pan or skillet. Roast the garlic cloves for a couple of minutes, flipping them a few times in between, until they are golden.
  • Cook tomatoes: Add the tomatoes and stir on high heat for about 2 minutes. Add a good pinch of salt, chopped capers, red pepper flakes, and half of the chopped basil. Stir and cook on medium-low heat for 5-6 minutes until the tomatoes are soft.
  • Combine: Add ricotta, about ½ cup of the reserved pasta cooking water, and pasta to the pan and stir gently for about 1 minute to heat the sauce through. Add an extra splash of the cooking water if necessary to thin the sauce.
  • Stir in the remaining basil, adjust the taste with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Notes

  1. Cherry tomatoes are best, but if you don’t have them, you can use regular ripe and flavorful ones. Deseed and chop them roughly; the pieces should be about the size of ½ a cherry tomato.
  2. You will not need it all. You will need ½ cup + a little bit more if required to thin the sauce.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 647kcal | Carbohydrates: 91g | Protein: 23g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 33mg | Sodium: 160mg | Potassium: 548mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 849IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 3mg