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Published: May 13, 2020 by Jacqui

12 Italian Pasta with Ricotta Recipes


12 Authentic Pasta with Ricotta Recipes.

Pasta is, of course, the most famous Italian staple. And ricotta is probably one of the most popular cheeses in the Italian kitchen. Pasta recipes that make use of ricotta are among my favourites. In fact, there are many dishes that combine these two favourite Italian foods.  Check out these 12 Italian pasta with ricotta recipes . I’m sure you’ll find a few you’d like to try!

Italian pasta with ricotta recipes

What exactly is ricotta?

Ricotta is actually a whey cheese obtained by reheating the whey left over from the production of other cheeses made with sheep, goat, water buffalo or cow’s milk. In fact, the word ‘ricotta’ means recooked!

Even the Ancient Romans made ricotta!

Simply put, when you make cheese, you separate milk into two substances, curds and whey! Most cheeses are made using the curds. Ricotta is made using the whey. It’s a bit similar to cottage cheese. Italians have been making ricotta for centuries. Even the Ancient Romans made it!

Sicilian pasta with ricotta

Traditional Italian fresh ricotta is smoother than cottage cheese and tastes mildly sweet. Ricotta is mostly used and eaten when it’s fresh. However,  there are ricotta cheeses which are aged such as ricotta salata (salted ricotta), ricotta affumicata (smoked ricotta) and ricotta infornata (baked ricotta). These 12 Italian pasta with ricotta recipes all call for fresh ricotta!

Just click the recipe name to find out more about each dish!

Meatless Italian pasta with ricotta recipes.

Sicilian pasta with ricotta and pistachios

Sicilian ricotta and pistachio pasta

Two of the most important ingredients in the Sicilian kitchen are ricotta and pistachios. Both are used in desserts and pasta recipes. This Sicilian ricotta and pistachio pasta is a delicious example of how beautifully these two typical foods can be used together to make a divine creamy plate of pasta.

Italian ricotta mushroom lasagne al forno

Italian ricotta and mushrooms lasagna

This Italian ricotta mushroom lasagne al forno is one of my favourite lasagna recipes.  Made with fabulous Southern Italian dried lasagna riccia and porcini mushrooms, this dish tastes as beautiful as it looks!

Calabrian ricotta balls in tomato sauce

Calabrian ricotta balls in tomato sauce.

This fabulous vegetarian version of pasta with ‘meatballs’ is based on a traditional recipe from Calabria in Southern Italy. Actually, these Calabrian ricotta balls in tomato sauce are delicious with pasta or without! You can also make extra and fry or bake them!

Calabrian ricotta balls in tomato sauce.

Sicilian ricotta pasta 2 ways (with walnuts or nutmeg)

In Southern Italy, pasta with ricotta is a popular go-to recipe when mothers don’t know what to cook or haven’t had time for shopping. Kids love it! I’m sure you and your family will love these Sicilian ricotta pasta recipes too!

Ricotta and basil filled paccheri pasta.

Ricotta and basil filled paccheri pasta.

This paccheri recipe is so full of Mediterranean flavour , yet super simple to make. If you’ve never tried Neapolitan paccheri pasta before, this is a great recipe to begin with.

Linguine pasta with mint pesto and ricotta cream.

Linguine with mint pesto & ricotta cream.

This fresh and creamy contemporary linguine pasta with mint pesto recipe is perfect for summer days when mint is in season and heavy meals are the last thing on our minds! 

Homemade Ricotta Gnocchi with Mushrooms Recipe from Piemonte

Homemade ricotta gnocchi with mushrooms.

Traditionally made with Piemontese ricotta and fresh porcini, this vegetarian recipe is just as delicious with other types of ricotta and mushrooms.

Homemade ricotta gnocchi with mushrooms.

Baked conchiglioni pasta shells with ricotta & spinach.

The two most traditional Sunday lunch baked pasta shell dishes in Italy are either with a meat ragu filling or like this recipe for pasta shells with spinach and ricotta.

Spaghetti al limone with ricotta and basil

Spaghetti al limone with basil & ricotta.

This spaghetti al limone with ricotta and basil has a wonderful fresh summer taste, with an intense lemony flavour. In fact, close your eyes and you can even imagine you are eating this dish sitting on a terrace overlooking the sea on the Amalfi coast or Capri!

Ricotta gnudi with black truffle

Ricotta gnudi with black truffle.

Ricotta gnudi with black truffle is a heavenly dish made with Tuscan gnudi (gnocchi). However, even without black truffles you will love these divine ricotta dumplings!

Ragu lovers Italian pasta with ricotta recipe.

Tuscan Pasta Tordellata with ragu, Swiss chard and ricotta.

Tuscan pasta tordellata with ragu, ricotta & Swiss chard.

Known as Tuscan pasta tordellata, intordellata or stordellata, this delicious deconstructed version of a traditional tortelli recipe from Tuscany tastes as good as the filled pasta dish, with less work! I loved everything about this recipe, including having 2 sauces.

Sweet pasta with ricotta.

Prune and Fig Cjarsons di Pontebba. Sweet Ravioli from Friuli.

Prune & fig cjarsons, sweet ravioli from Friuli.

These traditional Northern Italian sweet ravioli are a unique and delicious way to serve pasta. These cjarsons are filled with prunes, figs and ricotta and served with melted butter, cinnamon and sugar!

If you do make these Italian pasta with ricotta recipes, I’d love to hear how they turn out. Please write a comment here on the blog or post a comment on the Pasta Project Facebook page.

Your feedback means a lot to me!

Buon Appetito!

Save for later?

If you want to save these recipes for later, you can bookmark this page or save it to Pinterest.

Pin for later

Italian pasta with ricotta recipes.

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Genevieve says

    May 17, 2020 at 11:07 am

    I want to come visit you and have you cook pasta for me! Your pasta always look so delicious!

    Reply
    • The Pasta Project says

      May 18, 2020 at 6:31 am

      Thank you for the kind comments, and of course we always love visitors Genevieve!

      Reply
  2. Michelle says

    May 17, 2020 at 3:33 am

    I would have never considered using ricotta in these other recipes. The only time I have used ricotta is in lasagna. It is nice to have options, thank you for sharing.

    Reply
    • The Pasta Project says

      May 18, 2020 at 6:32 am

      It is really versatile, though also wonderful in lasagne!

      Reply
  3. AJ says

    May 16, 2020 at 8:15 pm

    This is my go-to collection for pasta dishes!

    Reply
    • The Pasta Project says

      May 18, 2020 at 6:32 am

      Thank you, AJ! I hope you get to try them all!

      Reply
  4. Anindya Sundar Basu says

    May 16, 2020 at 5:06 pm

    I always love Pasta in any form. bookmarking this for my future reference

    Reply
    • The Pasta Project says

      May 18, 2020 at 6:39 am

      I hope that you get the chance to try some of the recipes, Anindya!

      Reply
  5. Nart at Cooking with Nart says

    May 16, 2020 at 11:39 am

    This is such a great collection! I could make one for each day for 12 days!

    Reply
    • The Pasta Project says

      May 18, 2020 at 6:39 am

      That sounds like a great plan, Nart!

      Reply
  6. Kez says

    May 16, 2020 at 11:20 am

    I had no idea that there were so many pasta dishes that used ricotta!

    Reply
    • The Pasta Project says

      May 18, 2020 at 6:40 am

      There are many more, I hope you get to try some of them!

      Reply
  7. Kevin says

    May 16, 2020 at 1:17 am

    one of those reminds me of the Polish dish perogies, thanks for sharing this !

    Reply
    • The Pasta Project says

      May 18, 2020 at 6:42 am

      Thank you, Kevin! Gnocchi is the Italian version of perogies, so the gnudi recipe is very similar!

      Reply
  8. chad says

    May 15, 2020 at 9:39 pm

    I bookmarked all these amazing recipes! I can't wait to make all of these, can't wait!!!

    Reply
    • The Pasta Project says

      May 18, 2020 at 6:42 am

      You must let me know how you like them if you make them!

      Reply
  9. Rochelle says

    May 15, 2020 at 6:03 pm

    This is such a nice collection of pasta recipes! Each one looks so delicious!

    Reply
    • The Pasta Project says

      May 18, 2020 at 6:43 am

      Thank you, Rochelle!

      Reply
  10. Neli Howard says

    May 14, 2020 at 8:04 pm

    Oh God, all these recipes made me hungry! Seriously, this is an incredibly tasty list. Especially Italian ravioli. I will definitely keep this list. THANK YOU!

    Reply
    • The Pasta Project says

      May 18, 2020 at 6:43 am

      If you make any of the recipes, please do let me know how it turns out!

      Reply
  11. Charla says

    May 14, 2020 at 8:02 pm

    I'm not really reversed with Italian cuisines so this roundup is a great resource for a novice like me

    Reply
    • The Pasta Project says

      May 18, 2020 at 6:44 am

      Thank you, Charla. I am pleased it's useful for you, and I hope you get to try a recipe or two!

      Reply
  12. kim says

    May 14, 2020 at 8:02 pm

    So many good recipes to try! I'm thinking of making the ricotta balls first!

    Reply
    • The Pasta Project says

      May 18, 2020 at 6:45 am

      They are quick and easy to make and taste delicious, so that is a great place to start!

      Reply
  13. Lauren Vavala | Delicious Little Bites says

    May 14, 2020 at 8:00 pm

    This is such an amazing list of recipes. I absolutely love ricotta on pasta (and pizza!) and can't wait to give a couple of these recipes a try soon.

    Reply
    • The Pasta Project says

      May 18, 2020 at 6:45 am

      Thank you, Lauren. I am a ricotta fan too!

      Reply
  14. Tammy says

    May 14, 2020 at 7:35 pm

    I love ricotta cheese in red sauce for a light yet creamy dish. Love the variety of dishes here! I know I would enjoy them all..thanks for sharing ^_^

    Reply
    • The Pasta Project says

      May 18, 2020 at 6:46 am

      Thank you, Tammy!

      Reply

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