Name: Chicken ricotta lemon and spinach pasta
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 240 grams conchiglie pasta; 1 tablespoon olive oil; 130 grams chopped pancetta; 3 chicken breasts (600 grams), cubed; 4 garlic cloves, minced; 200 grams spinach; 1 and ½ lemons, zest and juice; 250 grams ricotta; Salt and pepper; 125 grams mozzarella; 30 grams Italian sourdough breadcrumbs (or any other breadcrumbs); A handful of fresh basil

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Creamy, zesty, garlicky. This chicken ricotta lemon and spinach pasta sprinkled with breadcrumbs and mozzarella is delicious for a weeknight dinner.

A pasta dish in a cast iron skillet with chicken, a ricotta lemon sauce, spinach, mozzarella and breadcrumbs sprinkled with basil on top of a black wire cooling rack and grey tea towel

Recipe inspo

I don’t know why, but I have an unhealthy obsession with ricotta.

Actually, I know exactly why. Growing up I was queen of the creamy pasta dish. As a kid, every restaurant I went to I would order the dish that had pasta and a creamy sauce. My mum would make it for me and my sister at home with bacon and broccoli. What we’d call a carbonara but with cream rather than eggs. A British carbonara if you will, as referenced in that clip with Gino D’Acampo (have you seen it? It kills me every time!)

I even remember the first time I had a proper carbonara – without any cream in sight. We were skiing in France, I must’ve only been seven or eight, and we went out for dinner. My pasta arrived with an uncooked yolk sitting in half an egg shell on top. I remember being pretty confused but my mum told me to tip it on, mix it in and my god, was it incredible.

Pasta recipe served in two bowls containing chicken, a ricotta lemon sauce, spinach, mozzarella and breadcrumbs sprinkled with basil on top

Now I’m not saying ricotta is as smooth as creamy or as rich as a carbonara, but I see this chicken ricotta lemon and spinach pasta as my grown up version of creamy pasta. Paired with two other favourites of mine, lemon and garlic, this ricotta sauce makes a healthy and satisfying recipe.

The little bites of pancetta give a salty hit paired with the mellow taste of mozzarella, it’s a dish I keep cooking over and over. And packed with 61 grams of protein, it’s macro friendly too!

Breadcrumbs of dreams

These little chunks of goodness are a game changer. Now you can obviously use any store bought breadcrumbs to sprinkle over the top. They’ll still be delicious and give that crunchy texture that really adds to this dish. But, if you’ve got a loaf of sourdough going stale I implore you to give these a go.

They’re super easy to make and eclipse anything that comes out of a packet. Get your blender going and try my Italian sourdough breadcrumbs.

Close up of a pasta recipe containing chicken, a ricotta lemon sauce, spinach, mozzarella and breadcrumbs sprinkled with basil on top

Were you a creamy pasta kid too? I’d love to hear what you think of this dish and whether it classes as a grown up take on creamy pasta. Drop a comment below, send me a message or tag me at @somethingwithflavour on Instagram.