Bright, zesty and creamy, this chickpea pasta dish covered in lemony ricotta sauce is the perfect summertime meal! The browned chicken sausage, precooked for ease, adds extra protein and zippy flavor.
In the summer especially, I’m looking for quick and easy (nearly) one pot meals. Bright flavors with enough heartiness to keep me full and satisfied. This hits the nail on the head!
Creamy, light ricotta cheese is mixed with lemon juice, salt and pepper to create a smooth and rich-tasting sauce for the chickpea pasta. You can use any pasta for this dish but I love swapping in chickpea pasta for the extra protein it packs! Do keep in mind the chickpea pasta will be slightly chewier than semolina wheat.
Watch a step-by-step video of this recipe on The Savvy Spoon Instagram page here!
Here’s how you’ll make my Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Chicken Sausage
- Brown chicken sausage, cut into disks, for a few minutes per side.
- Boil water in a large pot for your pasta, then cook according to package directions. Don’t forget to save 1 cup of pasta water before draining!
- Mix together ricotta sauce ingredients while the pasta cooks.
- Once pasta has been cooked, add it back to the pot with the ricotta sauce. Add remaining ingredients along with cooked chicken sausage. Toss, serve and enjoy!
Easy as that! Hope you enjoy this fresh summer dish!
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Lemon Ricotta Pasta with Chicken Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 lb. chicken sausage links precooked, cut into coins
- 1 lb. chickpea pasta I love Banza
- 15 oz. ricotta cheese use whole milk for creamier sauce
- juice of 1 lemon
- zest from 1/2 lemon
- kosher salt and pepper
- fresh arugula
- parmesan cheese
- fresh basil optional
- 1 cup reserved pasta water
Instructions
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium and when warm, spray with cooking spray. Add sausage coins and cook 2 mins per side, then remove.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil (covering with lid makes it boil faster). add kosher salt before adding in chickpea pasta. Cook according to package, saving 1 cup of pasta water before draining.
- In a bowl, mix together ricotta, lemon juice, lemon zest, and season well with salt and pepper.
- When pasta has cooked & drained, add back to pot with ricotta, arugula, sausage, parmesan and basil. Mix with hot pasta water to create sauce. Serve warm!
Am I missing something? Where is the calorie count?
Hi Liz! I don’t have nutritional information but you are able to use an online calculator for calories if that is what you are interested in – just input the ingredients and serving number. I hope that helps!