Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Marinara

Penne pasta tossed in a creamy ricotta pasta sauce with a subtle touch of bright lemon flavor, all smothered with a simple but deliciously savory marinara. Based on a beloved dish from a local Italian restaurant (my favorite!) called “Italian casserole” that I absolutely had to recreate after they went out of business. So good!

What Makes This Recipe So Good

• If you’ve ever eaten at Tellini’s Italiano, you already know just how amazing this pasta dish is. Tellini’s was one of our favorite places for Italian take-out, and we were SO upset when their Memphis location closed. I knew I couldn’t just never taste their incredible Italian Casserole again, and thus, this copycat recipe was born. Lemon ricotta pasta topped with marinara sauce captures every delicious flavor and texture of that Tellini’s classic, made right in your own kitchen.
• The flavors are incredible – sort of an alfredo-meets-spaghetti, but not in a vodka sauce kind of way. It’s bright and tangy. Rich and savory. Cheesy and creamy. Basically just everything you love about Italian food. You’ve got a white cheese sauce made of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan. Tender penne pasta. A hearty scoop of savory, flavorful marinara sauce. What’s not to love?!

Chef’s Tips

• To keep the sauce from separating when it’s heated, bring the cheeses to room temperature (or close to it) before putting them in the pot on the stove. Don’t set your ricotta out too early, though. If it’s at room temperature for 2 hours or more, you risk it no longer being safe to consume. 30 minutes to 1 hour should be plenty of time.
• I recommend boiling the pasta just until it’s al dente, which is typically 1-2 minutes less than what the packaging recommends. Since you’ll be adding it back to the pot with the ricotta sauce, you don’t want any residual cooking to leave you with overcooked penne.
• Don’t forget to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water to use in your lemon ricotta sauce. Starches from the penne will have incorporated into the water, which will make the sauce nice and creamy, while the water thins it out to the ideal sauce consistency.