Fusilli with Ricotta and Spinach

By MooK

Ingredients

• 11 ounces (1 1/3 cups) whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound fusilli
• 1 pound (16 cups) baby spinach, chopped coarse
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest plus 2 teaspoons juice
• 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup), plus extra for serving

Preparation

Step 1

1. Whisk 1 cup ricotta, 1 tablespoon oil, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, and 1/8 teaspoon salt in medium bowl until smooth; set aside.

2. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and 1 tablespoon salt and cook, stirring often, until al dente. Reserve 1 cup cooking water. Stir spinach into pot with pasta and cook until wilted, about 30 seconds. Drain pasta and spinach and return them to pot.

3. While pasta cooks, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil, garlic, nutmeg, and cayenne in saucepan over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute. Remove pan from heat and whisk in remaining 1/3 cup ricotta, cream, lemon zest and juice, and 3/4 teaspoon salt until smooth.

4. Add ricotta-cream mixture and Parmesan to pasta and toss to combine. Let pasta rest, tossing frequently, until sauce has thickened slightly and coats pasta, 2 to 4 minutes, adjusting consistency with reserved cooking water as needed. Transfer pasta to serving platter, dot evenly with reserved ricotta mixture, and serve, passing extra Parmesan separately.