Pasta with ricotta was a quick dinner when I was growing up in Rome. It is very easy to make and has a mild flavor, and by adding white truffle cream to the ricotta, you improve its flavor with very little effort.
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Pasta with ricotta was a quick dinner at home in Rome, and it was also a dinner we would make ourselves as teenagers.
It only needs a good ricotta, some cooking water from the pasta to make it creamy, and Parmesan on top.
Because ricotta has such a mild flavor, it takes very well to a stronger ingredient. In my pasta with zucchini and ricotta, I add stir-fried zucchini, and here I add white truffle and porcini cream.
The truffle cream turns a simple weeknight pasta into a dish you can serve for a special dinner, and it doesn't add any work.
To make it special, I use fresh pasta like homemade spaghetti or tagliatelle.
For more recipes with truffle, you can check creamy truffle gnocchi, black truffle pasta and the Italian tortellini soufflé.
Ingredients
- Fresh spaghetti: Fresh egg pasta holds the creamy sauce well. You can also use fresh tagliatelle.
- Ricotta: Buy a good quality ricotta, as it is the base of the sauce.
- White truffle and porcini cream: It gives the ricotta the truffle flavor. Read the label and choose a cream made with real truffle.
- Butter: It melts on the hot pasta and combines well with the ricotta.
- Italian prosciutto cotto (optional): Shredded, mixed into the sauce. Cooked ham is one of the mild ingredients truffle is usually served with.
- Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated, on top of the pasta.
- Black pepper: Freshly ground.
- Salt: For the pasta water.
To know how to choose a truffle cream made with real truffle, and the difference between the Italian truffles, you can read my Black and White Italian Truffles: A Buying Guide.
You can find the measurements in the recipe card below.
Step by step instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the salt.
- In a large bowl, mix the ricotta with the white truffle and porcini cream, and add the butter. If you are using it, add the shredded prosciutto cotto.
- Cook the fresh spaghetti in the boiling water for about 3 minutes, until al dente.
- Before draining, add 2 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to the ricotta and truffle cream, and stir to make it creamy.
- Drain the spaghetti, add them to the bowl, and stir until the butter melts and the pasta is coated with the sauce.
- Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan and black pepper.
Hint: To cook pasta to perfection, you can read the article How To Cook Pasta Like An Italian.
Tips for the best pasta with ricotta and truffle
- Buy a good quality ricotta.
- Choose a truffle cream made with real truffle, not a synthetic truffle flavor.
- Keep the pasta al dente.
- Add the pasta cooking water a little at a time, so the ricotta becomes creamy without turning watery.
- Serve immediately, as the ricotta sauce thickens as it cools.
Variations
- Fresh tagliatelle: You can make the same recipe with fresh tagliatelle instead of spaghetti.
- Fresh truffle: If you have a fresh truffle, you can shave it over the pasta. To clean and use it, you can look up my recipe for black truffle pasta.
- Prosciutto cotto: I sometimes add some shredded Italian prosciutto cotto, but it is optional.
- Dry spaghetti: You can use dry spaghetti, but fresh pasta makes it fancier.
- Zucchini: For the version without truffle, you can check my pasta with zucchini and ricotta.
Frequently asked questions
Which ricotta should I use?
You can use either cow's or sheep's milk ricotta. Buy a good quality ricotta, as it is the base of the sauce. To know more about ricotta, you can read the section "Cooking with ricotta" in my pasta with zucchini and ricotta.
Which truffle product should I use?
I use a white truffle and porcini cream. Read the label and choose a cream made with real truffle, as many products use a synthetic truffle flavor.
Can I use fresh truffle?
Yes, you can shave a fresh truffle over the pasta. To clean and use it, you can look up my recipe for black truffle pasta.
Can I use dry pasta instead of fresh spaghetti?
Yes, you can use dry spaghetti, but fresh pasta makes it fancier.
Can I add cream?
No, we are adding ricotta to keep the pasta light. That is the whole purpose of it.
Can I make it ahead?
No, but if you have leftovers, you can make a pasta a frittata.
More recipes with truffle
- Black and White Italian Truffles: A Buying Guide
- Black Truffle Pasta: Fresh Tagliatelle al Tartufo
- Creamy Truffle Gnocchi With Parmesan Sauce
- Italian Tortellini Soufflé
- Maiale al Latte: Italian Pork Cooked in Milk with Truffle Butter
- Crispy Fried Polenta with Taleggio and Truffle Sauce
- Pasta a Frittata: Italian Fried Pasta
If you are making this spaghetti with ricotta and truffle cream, leave your comment below and give it a rating, I would like to hear from you. You can find more delicious ideas if you FOLLOW ME on Facebook, YouTube, Pinterest and Instagram or sign up to my newsletter.
Spaghetti with Ricotta and Truffle Cream (Spaghetti Ricotta e Tartufo)
Verified Culinary AuthorityEquipment
Ingredients
- 8.5 oz fresh spaghetti 120 g per serving
- 5 oz ricotta
- 2.8 oz white truffle and porcini cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon Italian prosciutto cotto shredded (optional)
- 1 tablespoon salt for the pasta water
- freshly grated Parmesan to serve
- black pepper to serve
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add the salt.
- In a large bowl, mix the ricotta with the white truffle and porcini cream, and add the butter. If you are using it, add the shredded prosciutto cotto.
- Cook the fresh spaghetti in the boiling water for about 3 minutes, until al dente.
- Before draining, add 2 tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to the ricotta and truffle cream, and stir to make it creamy.
- Drain the spaghetti, add them to the bowl, and stir until the butter melts and the pasta is coated with the sauce.
- Serve immediately with freshly grated Parmesan and black pepper.
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