Photo: Spaghetti with Ricotta: Spaghetti con Ricotta Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 slice pancetta, about 2 ounces
- 1 onion, peeled and quartered
- 1 carrot, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 rib celery, cut into 4 pieces
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 teaspoon tomato paste
- 1 (16-ounce) can San Marzano tomatoes and their juices
- 4 fresh basil leaves
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 1/2 pounds spaghetti
- 1/4 pound fresh ricotta, drained
- 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley
Directions
Place the pancetta, onion, carrot and celery in the bowl of a food processor and process until finely chopped. In a 10-inch skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the vegetable mixture and cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Gradually add the wine and tomato paste. Mix well to combine and add the tomatoes, their juices, and the basil leaves, torn. Break up the tomatoes with the back of a spoon and cover, cooking for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Meanwhile, bring 6 quarts of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt. Cook the spaghetti according to the directions, until tender yet al dente. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the pan with the sauce, then add the ricotta and parsley and toss over high heat 30 seconds, adding the cooking water if necessary to keep the condiment from becoming too tight. Season with salt and pepper to taste and divide evenly among 6 warmed pasta bowls.
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By anitagriebe_1056307
Conroe, TX
on April 21, 2009
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Followed the recipe exactly, even to searching out the SM tomatoes. We didn't care for the flavor and especially the texture of the sauce. It turned out to be almost grainy.
By speccer01_7559330
west haven, CT
on April 08, 2007
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Nice results though recipe does not mention how to use the garlic listed in the ingredients. I added it to the battuto of carrots, celery and onion. One of my children called this "Pasta Calzone" since the ricotta and tomato reminded him of a calzone. Will definitely make this again.
By Otabenga
WASHINGTON, DC
on May 02, 2006
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Though Mario's recipes are almost always delicious, they're not usually as quick and easy as this one. I still can't get over the recommendation to mince the carrot, onion, celery, and pancetta (I used turkey bacon BTW in the food processor! I too had some ricotta to use up and this was the perfect recipe. And there's really no pressing need to drain the ricotta as I ended up adding about a coffee mug full of the pasta water into the dish anyway. This recipe really showed me that ricotta can be used to add a level of creaminess to almost any pasta sauce. My partner thought I'd made it with cream but I just used lowfat ricotta.
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