Pasta With Fresh Tomato Sauce and Ricotta

Name: Pasta With Fresh Tomato Sauce and Ricotta
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Cuisine: italian
Ingredients: 1 pound dried pasta, such as farfalle or penne; Salt and pepper; 2 tablespoons butter, softened; Crushed red pepper (optional); 2 ½ cups Quick Fresh Tomato Sauce, warm (see recipe); 6 ounces ultra-fresh ricotta, at room temperature; Grated pecorino; Basil leaves, for garnish

By David Tanis

Updated Aug. 24, 2022

Pasta With Fresh Tomato Sauce and Ricotta — Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.

Total Time: 30 minutes
Rating: 5(2,403)
Comments: Read comments

This wonderful pasta is made with nothing more than fresh tomato sauce and good ricotta, plus a little pecorino. It’s most delicious if you keep the pasta quite al dente; use just enough sauce, no more; give it a good pinch of crushed red pepper; and season it with enough salt of course.

Featured in: The Time Is Right to Make Tomato Sauce

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

1pound dried pasta, such as farfalle or penne
Salt and pepper
2tablespoons butter, softened
Crushed red pepper (optional)
2½ cups Quick Fresh Tomato Sauce, warm (see recipe)
6ounces ultra-fresh ricotta, at room temperature
Grated pecorino
Basil leaves, for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted water, making sure to keep it quite al dente.
Step 2
Put butter in a wide deep skillet over medium heat. Add drained pasta to the pan and season with salt, pepper and crushed red pepper, if using.
Step 3
Add tomato sauce gradually and stir to coat pasta, using only enough sauce for a light coating (you may not need the entire 2½ cups).
Step 4
Transfer pasta to a warm serving bowl and dot top with spoonfuls of ricotta. Sprinkle lightly with pecorino and garnish with a few torn basil leaves.

Ratings

5 out of 5

2,403 user ratings

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Comments

Sue Llewellyn7 years ago

The sauce is splendid, as is the whole dish. Until I read some of the comments below, however, I had NO idea "we" were supposed to frown on farfalle/bowties--or that they had the remotest connection to Betty Crocker recipes! Oddio--where will our snobbery take us next?!

Rami7 years ago

Love pasta and stopped making it a couple of years ago to cut down on white carbs. Did not like whole wheat at all. Few months ago discovered brown rice and quinoa pasta at Trader Joe's. Back to loving and eating a favorite food! It's delicious...

Kate7 years ago

Oh, Brian, you've been missing out if you're not using bow ties. The Silver Spoon pasta book has a whole chapter for them, Marcella Hazan used them, a favorite (Italian) pasta cookbook I bought in Florence has 5 recipes for them (with lemon, with mushrooms and cheese, with scallops and asparagus) and hey, what's wrong with Betty Crocker anyway. I love how the bows capture the sauce plus the little knob in the center of the bow always stays just a bit more al dente and chewy.

Modified3 months ago

Do not add 28oz use only 14oz. Garlic is not needed.

K Johnson9 months ago

Made this with fresh heirloom tomatoes and cashew ricotta. Froze half and the frozen sauce tasted just as fresh when thawed!

Lemon Zest10 months ago

Top with lemon zest before serving.

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