This weekend Ina Garten made crispy chocolate chip cookies and Nate declared his unadulterated dislike for her yet again.
This weekend I also watched Ina Garten make a pasta dish with a lemon cream sauce and I declared my everlasting love yet again.
She roasts chicken on the bone. She makes a cream sauce with cream. She fresh squeezes lemons, limes, oranges, and any other manner of citrus for her recipes. She only uses room temperature everything when required.
Me? I figure that’s what microwaves are for.
Regardless, after watching the show with the lemon cream sauce I could not help myself when I realized the abundance of pasta in our pantry. Only I’m cooking for myself and Nate, so cream sauces aren’t something that we do on a regular basis. But, just as I microwave ingredients to room temperature, I also utilize ricotta cheese in lieu of cream. Makes me feel fancy since I’m using ri-COH-tah cheese and still semi-healthy since at least it’s not cream. Well, it’s not cream for now.
FARFALLE WITH LEMON RICOTTA CREAM SAUCE
- 1/2 lb farfalle pasta (or whatever pasta you have on hand)
- 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
- 1 cup ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- juice & zest from 1 lemon
- 2 chicken breasts on the bone
- 2-3 Tbsp olive oil
- salt
- pepper
Preheat oven to 350. Rub the chicken with the olive oil and sprinkle very very generously with salt and pepper (make sure it’s only on the skin though). Roast for 30 minutes in the oven at 350, then remove from oven and cover with foil. Let it rest while you prep the broccoli and start boiling the pasta water. Cook pasta according to package directions, allowing 3 minutes at the end to blanch the broccoli (i.e. my pasta needed 10 minutes to cook, so after 7 minutes I threw the broccoli in and cooked it with the pasta before draining). Drain the pasta and broccoli together, reserving 1/2 cup of the water. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and cut the meat from the bone. Chop into bite-size pieces and set aside. In the pasta pot over very low heat whisk together the ricotta and pasta water, whisking constantly. Add the garlic powder and about 1/2 tsp of black pepper. Add the lemon zest and juice and let the mixture reduce for about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and whisk in the parmesan cheese until melted. Fold in the chicken, broccoli, and pasta. Serve hot!
Honestly this was one of the easiest dinners I’ve made in a long time and I loved every bite of it. And leftovers? Fugghedaboudit. I call dibs!
Love the new header…and this pasta…I wish I had a bowl of it right now.
I am making this tonight!!!! Thanks for the idea!
: )
Jen
Okay, two things, I LOVE YOUR HEADER! I am sure it is really old, but I have been stuck in Google Reader for awhile now! It’s so damn cute!!!! And two: that first shot is fabulous! It needs to be printed and hung in somebody’s kitchen. I love it. Okay, three things.. the recipe looks delicious. Right up my alley. Thanks, lovely lady.
THis sounds delicious. I have never really used ricotta as a pasta sauce. Easy and nice.
and she makes her own chicken stock! my hero!
cute header..love that photo of the 4 of you!
Perfect pasta dish-pure comfort right here! Love the new look:)
Oh my goodness! I am in LOVE with the new look!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
When did that happen? I read your blog every day. I hope it’s new and I’m not THAT unobservant. Wouldn’t put it past me though. LOL
Haha it happened late last night…don’t worry 🙂
Beautiful recipe! And I love the new header! That picture of you and the hubby is adorable!
Your new header looks so great! And I love Ina…the boyfriend loves her cooking, but loathes her ‘Jeffrey talk’.
And definitely my kind of dinner will have to give the ricotta a try.
Love the new look and this pasta looks absolutely delicious! I’m all about quick and easy pasta dishes! 🙂
Love the new look!!
Haha…my husband hates Ina too!!! I don’t know why she rubs men the wrong way!
omg i’m in love with the header!!
Love your new header and loving this pasta dish!
I love the new header! Ina is amazing. Anything she makes comes out delicious. I just used her pumpkin banana mousse tart as inspiration for a smoothie and it came out great. This is the perfect pantry dinner for us b/c I always have broccoli on hand.