This pasta with ricotta and tomato sauce is one of our favourite pasta dishes. The sauce is rich, creamy and super comforting and comes together in just under 20 minutes.
This is a great pasta night recipe that is fast and delicious and one that will certainly please the family! It uses just a few simple but very flavoursome ingredients.
You can use any pasta you like to make this, preferably one that is able to hold the sauce well. This recipe uses a simple classic Italian tomato sauce. Prepare the sauce from scratch for best flavour rather than buying a ready made one from the store.
Ricotta cheese is then melted into the sauce to give a wonderful creamy richness.
Serve immediately in large bowls with some freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil, any of these side salads and some crusty bread.
See below for answers to your commonly asked questions.
Ingredient notes
A few notes on ingredients for this creamy tomato and basil pasta.
Tomatoes – use a good brand of canned tomatoes, it makes so much difference to the flavour.
Pasta – I used linguine here but this sauce is just as delicious with any type of pasta. You could try it with paccheri, penne, rigatoni and even gnocchi.
Basil – Select fresh medium size leaves for best flavour and tear to release the oils and flavour before using.
Helpful tips
- Make the sauce alongside the pasta and then cook them together. Start with the sauce as it takes long to cook.
- Take care not to cook the pasta longer than the time shown on the packet or it will become gooey and won’t taste good.
- For a smoother sauce use a potato masher or jars of sieved tomato sauce (passata).
- The pasta sauce should be just enough to coat all the pasta and should not make the pasta ‘soupy’.
- Reserve some of the pasta water in case the sauce becomes too dry.
- Tear the basil leaves rather than chopping them, to avoid bruising and losing the oil/flavour.
- The tomato sauce can be made ahead without the ricotta, and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or kept frozen for up to three months. Thaw and reheat, then stir in the ricotta before using.
- After adding ricotta, the sauce will thicken over time.
Your questions answered
To prevent the garlic from burning add it to the olive oil then turn the heat on to low, so the oil and garlic slowly heat up releasing flavour.
After boiling pasta, reserve some of the starch-rich pasta water to add extra creaminess to sauces, gravies and soups.
Do not add oil to the water when boiling pasta! The oil will float to the top preventing water evaporation and trapping heat thus overcooking the pasta. Instead, to prevent pasta from sticking, use a pan large enough so the water is able to move around the pasta and it does not cook in a large clump.
Ricotta contains solids and whey which makes it appear grainy. To make the ricotta appear smoother, wrap it in cheesecloth then place in a strainer over a bowl, gently pressing to remove the liquid. Place a heavy jar on top to compress the ricotta and keep in the fridge to drain for anywhere from 2-8 hours. This will give a much smoother ricotta.
Storing
This pasta with sauce and ricotta is best when freshly prepared and it is not suitable for storing. See my helpful tips above for a partial make-ahead suggestion.
🍅 Are you making this recipe for Pasta with ricotta and tomato sauce? I’d love to know how it turned out, do let me know in the comments below.
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📋 Recipe
Pasta With Ricotta And Tomato Sauce
Ingredients
Pasta
- 500 g linguine 1 x 16oz packet, or other pasta
- water for boiling
- 1 tablespoon salt sea salt/kosher
Ricotta tomato sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic finely chopped
- 800 g canned tomatoes 28 oz
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 100 g ricotta cheese ½ cup
- parmesan cheese for grating
- 10 medium fresh basil leaves reserve a few for garnishing
Instructions
Sauce
- In a medium saucepan add the oil and garlic, and turn heat on to low.
- As the garlic softens and begins to turn golden, add the canned tomatoes, salt and stir. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, then turn off the heat.
- Stir in the ricotta, then tear the basil leaves and add to the sauce mixing well.
Pasta
- Fill ¾ of a large saucepan with water, add salt and bring to a rolling boil.
- Add the pasta and cook to 2 minutes less than the time indicated on the instructions. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water and drain the pasta.
- Replace the pan with pasta on the stove, pour in the sauce and mix well till the pasta is fully coated. Cook for another 1 to 2 minutes on a medium heat, stirring constantly, adding a little pasta water at a time if the sauce becomes too dry. Remove from the heat and serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh basil.
Notes
- Make the sauce alongside the pasta and then cook them together. Start with the sauce as it takes long to cook.
- To prevent the garlic from burning, add it to the olive oil then turn the heat on low, so the oil and garlic slowly heat up releasing flavour.
- I used linguine here but this sauce is just as delicious with any type of pasta. You could try it with paccheri, penne, rigatoni and even gnocchi.
- Take care not to cook the pasta longer than the time shown on the packet or it will become gooey and won’t taste good.
- Use a good brand of canned tomatoes, it makes so much difference to the flavour.
- For a smoother sauce use a potato masher or jars of sieved tomato sauce (passata).
- The pasta sauce should be just enough to coat all the pasta and should not make the pasta ‘soupy’.
- Reserve some of the pasta water in case the sauce becomes too dry.
- Tear the basil leaves rather than chopping them, to avoid bruising and losing the oil/flavour.
- The tomato sauce can be made ahead without the ricotta, and stored in the fridge for up to 3 days or kept frozen for up to three months. Thaw and reheat, then stir in the ricotta before using.
- After adding ricotta, the sauce will thicken over time.
- Serve immediately, this recipe is not suitable for storing.
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