Fettuccine with Ricotta, Tomatoes and Basil

This is one of my favorite "I don't know what to cook tonight and dinner is in 15 minutes" meals. The ricotta cheese makes an excellent and simple sauce of sorts. It can, however, become a bit dry after it begins to cool. To prevent this, add a few tablespoons of the pasta water to the cheese when you toss the pasta. Using the pasta water is better than regular tap water because it will allow the cheese to stick better to the pasta. And it's very versatile: sometimes I throw in some green peppers or sauteed mushrooms while my husband loves to add bacon (delicious, but slightly on the greasy side).


Fettuccine with Ricotta, Tomatoes and Basil
Recipe loosely adapted from bettycrocker.com
Picture by Kelly

1/2 (1/2 box) pound fettuccine
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
1/2 grated Parmesan cheese
2 large roma tomatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons basil, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons water, reserved from pasta water
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Bring a large pot of well salted water to boil. Cook fettuccine according to package directions. Drain, but reserve 2 tablespoons water.
2. Stir together riccotta cheese, 1/3 cup of Parmesan, salt and pepper. Toss with hot fettuccine. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until cheese sauce has thinned slightly.
3. Top with tomatoes, basil, and remaining Parmesan.