Dairy Farmers of Ontario brings a fresh, comforting twist to pasta night with this Buttery Shrimp Ricotta Pasta. Juicy shrimp, tender asparagus, and a silky lemon-ricotta sauce come together for a dish that feels both light and indulgent. It’s a quick, elegant meal that delivers big flavour with minimal effort.
Buttery Shrimp Ricotta Pasta
Serves 4
Ingredients:
For Pasta
- 224 g dry linguine
For Sauce
- 1 cup Ontario smooth ricotta
- ½ cup (75 g) Ontario parmesan cheese, shredded
- ½ cup (125 mL) Ontario 2% milk
- 1 lemon, juiced and zested
- ¼ tsp (0.5 g) pepper
For Shrimp
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) Ontario unsalted butter
- 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
- 1 (400 g) bag (or 50-60 pcs) of frozen shrimp, thawed, shelled and deveined
- 1 lb (454 g) asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 3 cloves (9 g) garlic, finely chopped
- ¼ cup (60 mL) reserved pasta water
- ½ tsp (3 g) salt
- ½ tsp (1 g) pepper
For Garnish
- 1 tbsp (4 g) chopped parsley (optional)
- 1 tbsp (5 g) red pepper flakes (optional)
Directions:
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Set aside. Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water.
- In a blender, combine all the sauce ingredients and blend until smooth. For a silkier texture, add 1 tablespoon of milk at a time until the sauce is smooth and coats the back of a spoon.
- In a large, hot pan over medium heat, melt the butter and heat the oil. Add the shrimp and cook for 2 minutes. Add the asparagus, garlic, reserved pasta water, salt and pepper. Cook until the asparagus is tender and the shrimp is cooked through.
- In the same pan with the shrimp mixture, add the sauce and pasta and mix until coated. Reduce heat and warm through. Use milk, as needed, to evenly coat the pasta. Portion into 4 individual bowls.
- Garnish: Top with parsley and red pepper flakes (if using) and serve.
