Whipped Ricotta Pasta With Roasted Tomatoes

Published 11/15/2021 • Updated 3/17/2024

Whipped Ricotta Pasta for Pasta Night!

Sayy hello to your new go-to pasta recipe. This whipped ricotta pasta is made with light and fluffy ricotta cheese and delicious roasted tomatoes and whole heads of garlic. It’s so easy to make and the flavor is out of this world. The kids will be begging for pasta night every night of the week! Plus, whipped ricotta is so easy to make and the star of the show.

What is whipped ricotta?

If you’ve never made whipped ricotta, you’re in for a treat. Whipped ricotta is exactly what it sounds like. Take ricotta cheese and whip it with a stand-mixer or hand-held mixer until it’s light and fluffy. It’s an excellent addition to any tomato-based pasta sauce or for just topping pasta in general. You can also use it in lasagna and a variety of other dishes that use ricotta cheese.

What You Need

Tomatoes – fresh tomatoes are the basis of this red sauce. After roastingm they will get nice and juicy and have amazing flavor.Garlic – this ricotta pasta calls for 2 whole heads of garlic. Yes, 2! We love roasted garlic and how it elevates pretty much any dish.Salt – salt is inmportant when making any kind of pasta sauce. So, just make sure to salt to taste.Tomato Paste – tomato paste helps intensify the tomato flavor.Spinach – spinach is added right at the end to add even more veggies. Ricotta Cheese – ricotta is the star of the show! Not only does it make this tomato pasta sauce nice and creamy, but it’s so yummy served on top of the pasta.Penne Pasta – this recipe features penne pasta, but any kind will work.

How to Make Whipped Ricotta Pasta Sauce

Roast Tomatoes and Garlic

Slice tomatoes in half and place them on a roasting pan. Drizzle them with olive oil and season them with salt and pepper. Serves a Crowd: this reciep is perfect for families or for those that love leftovers. Veggie-Packed: pack in tons of veggies with tomatoes, garlic, and spinach! Cut the tips off of 2 heads of garlic and place them on the roasting pan. Drizzle with olive oil. Roast veggies at 375ºF for 30 minutes. Then, flip the tomatoes over and roast for 10 more minutes.

Boil Pasta

Meanwhile, cook your penne pasta until it’s al dente. Before straining your pasta, reserve about 1 cup of pasta water which will be added later.

Smash and Simmer

Once your tomatoes have fully roasted. Remove them from the oven and let them sit for 10 minutes. Carefully remove the skins from the tomatoes. Transfer tomatoes and garlic cloves into a skillet and heat over medium heat. Smash the tomatoes and garlic so that they turn into a sauce. Then, add pasta water and bring to a boil. Fold in the fresh spinach and cover. Let steam for 10 minutes or until the spinach fully wilts.

Whip the Ricotta

Transfer ricotta cheese into a stand mixer and whip on high for about 2 minutes until it’s light and fluffy. Remove the tomato sauce from the heat and add around 1/4 cup of whipped ricotta into the roasted tomato sauce and mix to combine.

Toss with Pasta

Finally, add in the cooked pasta and toss it with the whipped ricotta pasta sauce. Serve pasta with fresh herbs, more whipped ricotta, and grated parmesan cheese.

A Few Quick Tips!

Use Full-Fat Ricotta Cheese

We’ve found that not only does full-fat ricotta cheese taste better, but it also whips better when making whipped ricotta.

Remove from the Heat Before Adding Cheese

Make sure to remove the pasta sauce from the heat before adding the ricotta cheese. This will prevent the ricotta from curdling.

Save the Pasta water!

If your sauce seems a little thick, all you have to do is add a little starchy pasta water to thin out the sauce.

Salt Reminder

As always, salt to taste! Everyone has a different salt preference, so just make sure to salt in stage.

Serving Suggestions

Add Pan-Seared Chicken: if you’re looking to add more protein to this dish, we suggest searing up our easy pan-seared chicken breast. Caesar Salad: feeling like you want even more veggies? Make our Caesar salad! Cheesy Garlic Bread: carb love like us? Try Cheese Knee’s cheesy garlic bread for a yummy side.

Storage

Got leftovers? Store pasta in an airtight container for up to 3-5 days. To reheat: you can either reheat in the microwave for 60-90 seconds or on the stovetop over medium heat. You may need to add some water or broth to thin things out a little bit.