Whipped Ricotta Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

4.84 from 6 votes

Whipped Ricotta Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

Whipped Ricotta Pasta is made with light and fluffy whipped ricotta along with roasted tomatoes, garlic, and spinach for a balanced pasta dinner idea!

Prep 15

Cook 45

Total 1

Fat 14

Carbs 50

Protein 18

Yield

Ingredients

3 medium slicing tomatoes stems removed
2 heads of garlic
1.5 tablespoons olive oil separated
1 teaspoon salt separated
½ teaspoon ground pepper separated
3 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup starchy pasta water*
5 oz. fresh spinach roughly chopped
16 oz. full fat Crystal Farms Ricotta Cheese
12 oz. uncooked penne pasta
Fresh herbs for topping
Grated parmesan for serving

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375ºF and cut the tomatoes in half and place them skin side down on a baking sheet.
Drizzle the tomatoes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle season them with ¼ teaspoon of salt and ⅛ teaspoon of pepper.
Prepare the garlic by cutting the tip of the garlic off, exposing the garlic cloves but leaving the root intact.
Place each garlic clove in a piece of tin foil and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Wrap the garlic tightly in the tin foil and place the garlic on the pan.
Roast at 375ºF for 30 minutes.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and flip the tomatoes over so the tomatoes are skin side up. Place them back into the oven for an additional 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water (salted to taste like the sea) to a boil and add the penne pasta. Cook until the pasta is al dente.
Before straining the pasta, remove 1 cup of pasta water from the pot for later use. Strain pasta and set aside.
Remove the baking sheet from the oven and let the tomatoes and garlic sit for 10 minutes.
Carefully remove the tomato skins from the tomatoes and place them in a large skillet with sides. Squeeze the roasted garlic cloves from the garlic paper into the skillet.
Break the tomatoes up with a spatula so that they turn into a sauce (this should happen easily) and use a spatula to smash the garlic cloves into a paste. Combine the two ingredients together.
Add the tomato paste and ½ - ¾ cup of the pasta water to the skillet, whisk the ingredients together and bring it to boil over high heat.
Turn the heat to low and let the mixture simmer for 10 minutes.
Fold the spinach into the tomato mixture, cover the skillet, and let the spinach wilt in the tomato sauce (about 10 minutes)
Meanwhile, place the ricotta cheese into a bowl and use a hand mixer to whip the ricotta. Whip the ricotta on high speed for about 2 minutes or until light and fluffy.
When the spinach is wilted, remove the skillet from the heat and add 1/4 cup of whipped ricotta to the skillet. Whisk until combined. Repeat until you’ve added 1 cup of whipped ricotta to the sauce..
Once combined, place the skillet back onto heat and heat on low until the sauce is warm.
Fold the cooked pasta into the sauce.
Serve the pasta with the remaining whipped ricotta and fresh herbs along with some grated parmesan cheese.
Enjoy.

Tips & Notes

Be sure that when you drizzle the tomatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper that they are coated.
The garlic heads will steam in the tin foil and become garlic mush (which is what we want). Be sure you tightly wrap the garlic so no air can get out.
Remember, every oven is different. You will know when the tomatoes are done because the skin will begin to brown and separate from the tomato meat. If the tomatoes aren’t done, bake them until the skin separates from the tomato meat.
Leave the garlic heads in the tin foil to steam while you peel the tomatoes.
The garlic cloves should come out VERY easy when you squeeze the garlic head, it should easily turn into a paste.
As you make the tomato sauce (when the tomatoes, garlic, starchy water, and tomato paste are all in the skillet) be sure that all those ingredients are whisked together and combined as you simmer them together.
We remove the skillet from the heat before adding the ricotta so there is no chance of curdling or burning. Be sure to add a little ricotta at a time.
If your sauce is too thick, you can add 1 tablespoon of the remaining starchy water at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
SALT REMINDER: test your pasta sauce as you go to test for salt. Remember that your pasta water is also salted. The saltiness of this dish depends on the heavy salted hand of the chef.

Nutrition Facts