Little Ears Pasta With Peas, Mint & Ricotta - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons grated lemon zest, divided
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 (16 ounce) package orecchiette pasta
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 (4 ounce) Libby's(R) Sweet Peas Vegetable Cups
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

Preparation

Mix ricotta, 1/2 cup Parmesan and 1 tablespoon lemon zest in a small bowl. Season mixture with salt and pepper.
Meanwhile, bring medium pot of generously salted water to boil. Add pasta and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain pasta and reserve 1 cup of water.
Heat butter in skillet over medium heat. Drain peas and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add pasta to peas and cook for 1 minute.
Pour pasta and peas into large bowl. Mix in ricotta mixture and 1/4 cup of pasta water.
Stir until ricotta is evenly incorporated with pasta. If it is too dry, add reserved water. Add remaining Parmesan cheese and lemon zest and remove from heat.
Add chopped mint and additional pepper.