Baked Ricotta Pesto Pasta is that perfect combination of bright and fresh basil pesto with creamy lemon and herb ricotta, baked with melty mozzarella cheese until bubbly and delicious. With fresh cherry tomatoes and baby spinach, this pasta bake is packed with flavor.
Ricotta pesto pasta is a classic combination of flavors and textures, with creamy ricotta cheese complimenting bold basil pesto. For this recipe I added fresh cherry tomatoes for a pop of juicy texture throughout the pasta bake, along with wilted baby spinach. Like our other baked pasta recipes, including our popular Rigatoni Al Forno, this recipe is super easy to customize, and while I'll give you instructions for making homemade pesto, you can certainly use store-bought pesto to make this recipe even easier.
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Ingredients that Matter
This recipe includes homemade pesto, a lemon and herb ricotta spread and fresh vegetables. Below are the ingredients you'll need to put together this pesto ricotta cheese baked pasta:
- Pesto. You can use store-bought pesto, or make your own with Basil, Parmesan Cheese, Garlic, Lemon Juice, Almonds (or pine nuts), Olive Oil and Salt and Pepper. See below for a quick tutorial on how to make pesto, or see our full recipe for Homemade Basil Pesto. You can even use our Ricotta Pesto Sauce for this recipe. For the best color pesto, try blanching the basil in boiling water for 30 seconds then shocking in ice water (squeeze dry before using).
- Ricotta Cheese. This Italian cheese has super fine curds, making for a creamy, fresh tasting cheese. Use full-fat or part-skim ricotta for this recipe.
- Pasta. Just about any shape of pasta will work for this recipe, but use one that can hold sauce well. For the images in this post I used lumache (shellbows), which is a snail shape pasta.
- Baby Spinach. A 5 ounce container of baby spinach works great for this recipe.
- Mozzarella Cheese. One cheese is never enough, right? Adding some shredded part-skim mozzarella adds a nice cheesy topping to this baked pasta.
- Thyme. Add some fresh thyme to the ricotta for a nice herb flavor.
- Tomatoes. Use cherry or grape tomatoes, halved.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make ricotta pesto pasta bake
This recipe has three main components. First, the pesto, which I like to make myself, and then a quick lemon and herb ricotta spread. Finally, there's the vegetable add-ins. Here is how all these components come together:
Start by making homemade pesto. Add the basil (be sure to rinse and dry well) to the base of a food processor or high-speed blender. Add the nuts, cheese, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper and blend or pulse until well chopped. Be sure to scrape the edges of the bowl as you work. While the machine is running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil and blend until smooth. Adjust the seasoning with more salt, pepper and lemon juice, if desired. Make the pesto up to 3 days ahead of time. Note it will discolor as it is exposed to oxygen, so cover with a thin layer of olive oil or place plastic wrap directly on the sauce.
Next, make the ricotta sauce by stirring together ricotta cheese with lemon zest, lemon juice, fresh thyme, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir together until smooth and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. If you have a steamer basket insert, place the baby spinach inside the basket and boil until just wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove from the water and cool until safe to handle. Squeeze out as much water as possible and set aside. If you don't have a steamer basket, cook the pasta according to package instructions then add the spinach the last two minutes of cooking.
Cook the pasta according to package instructions, until just barely al dente. Drain and cool slightly.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350F and spray a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish with cooking spray. Add the pasta and spoon in the pesto. Gently stir to combine.
Top with halved cherry tomatoes and the cook spinach, pressing down some of the vegetables into the pasta.
Spoon on the ricotta mixture, adding dollops of the cheese on top of the pasta and vegetables. It should not be an even layer, instead the ricotta should be dotted throughout the dish. Then sprinkle on mozzarella cheese.
Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is melted and the top is slightly brown and the edges are bubbly, about 30 minutes. Cool for about 5 minutes before serving.
Hint: You can save time and use store-bought pesto to make this recipe. You'll want about 1 ¼ cups of pesto, or an 8 ounce jar of pesto. If your market sells refrigerated pesto (some grocery stores make their own or fine a local brand), use that instead of jarred pesto as it'll have a bright, fresher flavor and better color.
Substitutions
There are plenty of substitutions you can make for this recipe depending on your dietary restrictions and even flavor preferences. Consider the following tweaks:
- Gluten-Free - Make this recipe gluten-free by using a gluten-free pasta. One important note when using gluten-free pasta, be sure to undercook the noodles as gluten-free pasta tends to get very gummy if overcooked.
- Ricotta Cheese - Use either whole milk of part-skim ricotta cheese. You can sub in cottage cheese, if preferred.
- Tomatoes - No cherry tomatoes? Try a 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes instead.
- Spinach - You can also use frozen (thawed) spinach instead of fresh baby spinach. Just be sure to squeeze it dry. In addition, if you want to use baby spinach, you can also simply microwave it instead of boiling it. Add it to a microwave safe bowl, cover with a plate, and cook on high for about 30-60 seconds. Be careful as the spinach will be hot.
- Pasta - You can also turn this into a rigatoni pesto pasta bake, or even a baked penne. Just about any pasta shape will work, including farfalle, cannelloni or rotini.
Other pesto and ricotta pasta bake stir-ins
Don't just stop at tomatoes and spinach, try adding:
- Shredded chicken (you can use our Pulled Chicken in a Dutch Oven recipe for quick shredded chicken breasts)
- Cooked shrimp (for super flavorful shrimp, use our Perfect Seared Shrimp with Garlic and Herbs recipe)
- Sauteed zucchini or yellow squash
- Jarred roasted red pepper
- Artichoke hearts
- Chopped olives
- Canned (rinsed and drained) white beans
- Sun-dried tomatoes (or add dollops of our Sun-Dried Tomato Spread)
Equipment
If you want to make homemade pesto, it's easiest to use a food processor like this Cuisinart Cup Pro Custom Food Processor.  Or use a smaller food processor like this Cuisinart Mini-Prep Food Processor or a mortar and pestle to make it by hand.
How to make this recipe ahead
To make this pasta bake ahead:
- Make the pesto and ricotta sauces. Store them in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. Note that as the ricotta mixture sits it may release some water. Simply stir it back in before using.
- Cook the spinach up to 3-4 days ahead of time and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
- Cook the pasta up to 3-4 days ahead of time and store in the refrigerator.
- You can also assemble the pesto baked pasta up to 24 hours ahead of time and store, covered, in the refrigerator. Place on the counter while the oven preheats then bake for 30 minutes.
Storage
You can store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days. You can also store leftovers in the freezer for up to 1 month. Reheat in the microwave or a 350F oven until bubbly, about 15-20 minutes. I recommend reheating individual portions in the oven on a baking sheet or in a skillet.
Adam's Pro Top tip
You can bake the casserole covered with foil if you want a moister baked pasta. Leave the foil on for 25 minutes then remove for the last 5-10 minutes to encourage a bit of browning on this top.
FAQ
Yes, ricotta cheese adds a nice creamy texture to pesto and compliments the bright and fresh flavors of basil pesto.
Use a shape that holds sauce well, like farfalle, penne, shells or rigatoni.
Pesto will discolor as it's exposed to oxygen so be sure to cover well. You can place a piece of plastic wrap directly on the pesto or cover with a thin layer of olive oil.
More Pasta Recipe
Looking for more pasta recipes like this? Try these:
Sides
Don't forget to serve a side dish for this ricotta pesto pasta:
Print
Recipe
Baked Ricotta Pesto Pasta
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 9- x 13-inch baking dish 1x
Description
Baked Ricotta Pesto Pasta is that perfect combination of bright and fresh basil pesto with creamy lemon and herb ricotta, baked with melty mozzarella cheese until bubbly and delicious. With fresh cherry tomatoes and baby spinach, this pasta bake is packed with flavor.
Ingredients
Pesto
- 2 cups (about 2 oz.) lightly packed basil, leaves and tender stems
- ½ cup (about ¾ oz.) grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup slivered almonds or pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- ¼ tsp. table salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- ¾ cup olive oil *see note
Ricotta
- 1 cup ricotta cheese (part-skim or whole milk)
- ¼ cup (about ⅓ oz.) grated parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice plus zest from 1 lemon
- 1 ½ tsp. fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 pinch table salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
Pasta
- 5 oz. baby spinach *see note
- 1 lb. pasta, such as lumache, penne, rigatoni
- 1 ¼ cups pesto (recipe included)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 ½ cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Pesto
- To make the pesto, wash and dry the basil then place in the stand of a food processor or blender. Add the parmesan cheese, almonds or pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper and pulse until well chopped. While the machine is still running, slowly drizzle in the oil and blend until smooth. Store pesto in an airtight container for up 3-4 days in the refrigerator. This recipe makes 1 ¼ cup pesto. You can also use an 8 ounce jar of pesto but you may need to add a bit more oil or water to yield 1 ¼ cup.
Ricotta
- To make the ricotta mixture, add the ricotta cheese to a medium bowl along with parmesan cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest, fresh thyme, salt and pepper and stir until well combined and smooth. Set aside or cover and refrigerate up to 3-4 days.
Pasta
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F and generously spray a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
- If your pot has a steamer insert, add the baby spinach to the insert and boil for 2 minutes, just until wilted. Remove from the water and cool slightly then squeeze out as much water as possible. Set aside. You can also microwave the spinach in a medium microwave-safe bowl with ¼ cup of water. Cover with a plate and microwave on high 30-60 seconds. Carefully remove, cool slightly, then squeeze out the water.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, being sure to cook until just barely al dente. Drain and cool slightly.
- Add the pasta to the prepared baking dish and spoon on pesto. Gently stir to combine. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and spinach in an even layer on top and press some of the vegetables into the pasta. Add dollops of the ricotta mixture on top of the pasta and vegetables then sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Bake right away or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours (if chilling first, place on the counter while the oven preheats).
- Bake the pasta, uncovered, until the edges are bubbly and the cheese is melted and the top is slightly browned, 30-35 minutes. If you like a moister baked pasta, cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until golden brown on top, another 5-10 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve 6-8.
Notes
- This recipe makes enough pesto for this recipe. If you use store-bought, try to find refrigerated pesto as it will have the best flavor and color. If needed, add a bit more oil or water to store-bought pesto to yield 1 ¼ cups.
- If you want to use less oil in the pesto, start with ½ cup olive oil then add ¼ to ½ cup of water. It should be plenty rich enough.
- Pine nuts may be traditional in basil pesto, but they are expensive. Slivered almonds work well, too, along with pecans or walnuts.
- If you want a vibrant color pesto, try blanching the basil in boiling water for 30-60 seconds than shocking in ice water. Squeeze dry before making pesto.
- Feel free to double the amount of baby spinach for this recipe if you want a lot of vegetables in your baked pasta.
- You can use frozen spinach, just be sure to thaw it and squeeze it dry. There's no need to cook the frozen spinach further.
- You can make this recipe ahead of time. The sauces may be made up to 3-4 days ahead. You can also assemble the casserole and store in the refrigerator covered for up to 24 hours.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- For food safety purposes, be sure to remove leftovers from the baking dish if it's still hot as the pasta will take a long time to cool.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American/Italian
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