This oven-baked lemon ricotta pasta is one of those recipes that sounds too simple to be that good — and then you make it and immediately put it in the regular rotation. Just four ingredients, one baking dish, no boiling the pasta first. The ricotta melts into creamy little pockets, the lemon keeps everything bright, and the whole thing comes out of the oven looking golden and cheerful. You’re going to love this one.
Why You’ll Love This
Only 4 ingredients — pantry staples, nothing fancy, no special trip to the store
No boiling the pasta first — it cooks right in the dish, which feels like cheating but absolutely works
One pan, easy cleanup — mix, bake, serve straight from the casserole dish
Bright and creamy at the same time — the lemon keeps it from feeling heavy; the ricotta makes it feel indulgent
Reheats beautifully — leftovers are just as good the next day with a splash of water stirred in
A Few Notes on the Ingredients
The pasta shape matters more than you’d think. You want something with nooks — penne, rigatoni, fusilli, rotini. I’ve used all of these and I think I land on rigatoni most often, just because the sauce gets trapped inside. Don’t use spaghetti or anything long. I say this from experience. One unfortunate evening with linguine I’d rather not revisit.
Whole-milk ricotta. This is not the time for part-skim. I know it costs more and the tubs are always awkward in the fridge but please, whole-milk. It makes a difference in the creaminess of the finished dish.
The lemons — use two, and use both the zest and the juice. I know some people are shy about zest but that’s where the flavor lives. Roll the lemons on the counter before you juice them and you’ll get more out of them — I’ve probably said it five hundred times to various people in various kitchens.
Olive oil — use something decent. Not your most expensive bottle, but not the giant jug from the back of the pantry either. This is a four-ingredient dish, so each one carries weight.
Ingredients
(Serves 6, more or less — depends on what else you’re serving)
12 oz dry short pasta — rigatoni, penne, or fusilli
1½ cups whole-milk ricotta
2 large lemons — zest and juice of both (about ⅓ cup juice, give or take)
⅓ cup olive oil
1½ tsp kosher salt
½ tsp black pepper
About 1 to 1½ cups hot water — you’ll add this in the dish
Oven Baked 4-Ingredient Lemon Ricotta Pasta
How to Make It
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