On a busy weeknight, I want simple, glossy comfort: courgette, lemon & ricotta rigatoni – courgettes kissed golden, ricotta turned to silk with lemon, basil torn by hand and a sparkle of zest – all done in 26 minutes.
A Courgette, Lemon & Ricotta Rigatoni that tastes like Italian Sunshine.
I love food. Not in the polite way people say they “love” a crisp salad. I mean the head-over-heels, eyes-closed, fork-hovering pause before that first mouthful kind of love. And this courgette lemon ricotta rigatoni is a showstopper of a pasta when the ingredients are so humble.
It started – as these things often do – with a pile of courgettes threatening a coup on my kitchen counter. The usual suspects had been and gone: a ratatouille here, a fritter there. Fine, but not the thing. Then one evening I did what the Mediterranean does so beautifully: I gave the courgettes heat, space and good olive oil. The edges went gold, the centres turned silk.
Into that sweetness I folded ricotta loosened with a dash of cream and the zest and juice of lemon. Basil for perfume, pine nuts for crunch. Rigatoni for all those glorious ridges to catch it.
Simple. And somehow, sensationally special.
A Little Italianate Nudge
Travel has a way of quietly rearranging your palate. Stalls stacked with green-striped courgettes, baskets of lemons still wearing their leaves, clouds of fresh ricotta on marble counters – those are the things that linger.
What the markets teach, more than anything, is restraint. Let your courgettes meet a hot pan and have a proper conversation with it; don’t interrupt with too much stirring. Add garlic at the last moment so it kisses the oil rather than burns.
Lift dairy with lemon, not just salt. It’s that balance that makes this dish feel like a hot delicious Italian Summer.
Courgette, Lemon & Ricotta Rigatoni Alchemy
There’s a few little tricks to getting this right. Courgettes need space – crowd the pan and they steam into sorrow. Give them a single layer and a little patience, and they’ll reward you with caramelised edges that taste almost nutty. Ricotta, for her part, is the diplomat between richness and light; she’s lush, but with lemon and a dab of cream she becomes something you can happily devour again and again.
Then there’s the secret every Nonna knows: pasta water from premium made pasta. Starchy, salty, liquid gold. Tossed in gradually, it tethers ricotta to pasta, creating that glossy restaurant sheen that makes people ask if you’ve had lessons.
The whole thing happens in twenty-six minutes, which, frankly, is less time than it takes to decide what to watch while you eat it.
Textures + Contrast. A Proper Finish.
I’m evangelical about finish. The last details – basil torn by hand so it bruises just enough to release perfume, pine nuts toasted until they smell like a summer bakery, a snowfall of cheese and a flash of zest – are the difference between “nice” and “oh… oh.” The courgette is sweet and tender, ricotta is cool and creamy, lemon is bright, basil is aniseed-green, pine nuts are buttery-crisp.
What this Courgette, Lemon & Ricotta Dish Teaches You about Pasta…
- Colour equals flavour. Once you see those golden edges on courgettes, you’ll never go back.
- Ricotta likes room temperature. Cold ricotta can sulk and seize; let it warm a touch so it melts into silk.
- Sauces don’t need flour to be luxurious. Starch and fat can be an exceptional addition.
- Season in layers. Salt the cooking water properly, taste the courgettes in the pan, and let lemon do some of the heavy lifting so you don’t over-salt the finish.
These little lessons are the sort you carry into everything else you cook – mushrooms, aubergines, even sweet peppers get better under a fiercer flame and a lighter touch.
How I serve it and what to pour.
Warm bowls. A last drizzle of good olive oil that catches the light. A rocket salad on the side with a squeeze of lemon and flaky salt – peppery, clean, perfect. In the glass: something crisp and mineral, or if you’re teetotal tonight, sparkling water with a twist of lemon and a basil leaf because you’re fabulous and why not!
Watch it come together in real life over on TikTok, and check out my Pinterest for lots more inspo!
If you liked this, I think you’ll love my Baked Rigatoni with Ragu and a Burrata Salad!
Ingredients
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Pasta + Base
- Ricotta Mixture
- To Finish
Instructions
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Boil Pasta
- Bring a large pan of well-salted water to the boil. Cook the rigatoni until al dente. Reserve 200ml pasta water, then drain. Make Ricotta Mixture
- In a bowl, whisk ricotta until smooth. Stir in double cream, lemon zest and juice, Parmesan and chopped basil. Season with a little salt and white pepper; set aside at room temperature. Caramelise the Courgettes
- Heat olive oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat. Add courgettes in a single layer (cook in batches). Fry 3–4 minutes until golden on the underside, flip and cook 2–3 minutes more. Add sliced garlic for the final minute. Season. Toast The Pine Nuts
- In a dry pan over medium heat, toast pine nuts until golden and fragrant; tip out immediately. Bring together
- Add drained hot pasta to the courgette pan and take off the heat. Fold in the ricotta mixture, loosening gradually with reserved pasta water until glossy and creamy. Fold through half the basil and half the pine nuts. Serve
- Divide between warm bowls. Top with remaining basil and pine nuts, extra lemon zest and Parmesan. Finish with a drizzle of good olive oil. Serve immediately.
Notes
Notes Vegetarian swap: Replace Parmesan with a vegetarian Italian-style hard cheese. Nut-free: Use pangrattato (olive-oil fried breadcrumbs with lemon zest) instead of pine nuts. Extra greens: Add peas for the final minute of pasta boiling or fold in baby spinach off the heat. Best texture tips: Don’t crowd the pan (courgettes will steam); keep ricotta mixture at room temperature; add pasta water a little at a time until the sauce clings and shines. Gluten-free: Use your favourite GF short pasta; still reserve some cooking water. Equipment Large saucepan · Colander · Wide frying pan/sauté pan · Mixing bowl · Microplane/zester · Measuring jug/spoon Storage Best fresh. Refrigerate leftovers up to 2 days; reheat gently with a splash of water and a squeeze of lemon. Add fresh basil/pine nuts to serve.
