Name: Creamy Tomato Ricotta Pasta: Easy Pasta Dinner Recipe
Prep time: 2 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 17 min
Yield: 8
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Ingredients: 1 pound Fusilli or Rotini pasta; 1 cup marinara sauce - We like Rao's Marinara or Arrabbiata; 1 cup ricotta or cottage cheese; ½ cup grated Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano; 2 tablespoons butter; ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

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Our Creamy Tomato Ricotta Pasta is a super easy dinner recipe! It uses just 6 ingredients and is ready in 15 minutes, making it the perfect weeknight dinner!

This super easy tomato pasta recipe uses pasta, ricotta, and marinara sauce, and it’s kid-friendly and a family favorite! We also love that the simple ingredients are easy to find at the grocery store!

What You Need:

1 pound Fusilli, Rotini, or Penne pasta
1 cup marinara sauce – We like Rao’s Marinara or Arrabbiata.
1 cup ricotta cheese or cottage cheese
½ cup grated Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

How to Make Creamy Tomato Ricotta Pasta

Cook the pasta according to package directions.
Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup pasta water, and return the pasta to the pot.
In a blender or large food processor, add the marinara, ricotta, Parm, butter, crushed red pepper, and pasta water
Blend until smooth and creamy. About 1-2 minutes.
Pour the ricotta mixture over the cooked pasta and toss until covered completely and heated through.
Serve immediately. We like to add more red pepper flakes on top. You could also add a little cheese!

Can you add a protein?

Absolutely! You could add chicken to this really easily or even ground beef.

What do you serve this with?

We like to serve creamy tomato pasta with a piece or two of sourdough bread or a side salad.

Occasionally, we will also have a glass of Avaline wine with it!

We love Avaline because it tastes really good, contains no added sugars, and you can trace the wine back to the vineyard!

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How to Store Leftovers

This dish makes at least 8 servings, and we usually can stretch it to 10! We store our leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.

If your leftovers our a little dry, you can always add a splash of water, milk, or leftover marinara sauce.

Want more?

We love making lightened-up dinners that taste great! Make sure to follow us on Instagram and get our free Mediterranean Guide for more go-to dinner recipes!

This tomato ricotta pasta recipe is definitely one of our favorite quick pasta recipes! If you love it, please consider leaving us a review in the recipe card.

Yield: 8