Penne With Asparagus, Ricotta And Lemon - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup reduced-fat ricotta cheese
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons freshly grated lemon zest
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt (to taste)
fresh ground black pepper
2 cups whole wheat penne (or spelt)
1 lb asparagus, stem ends snapped off, cut into 11/2 inch lengths (2 cups)

Preparation

Bring a large pot of light salted water to a boil for cooking the penne.
Stir together the ricotta, 1/4 cup of the parmesan, parsley, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until smooth.
Add the penne to the boiling water and cook, stirring occasionally for 4 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook until the penne is al dente (Do not overcook penne) and the asparagus is tender, 4 to 5 minutes longer. Reserve 1/3 cup of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and asparagus and place in a large bowl.
Add 1/3 cup of the reserved pasta cooking water to the ricotta mixture, whisking until smooth. Toss the pasta with the ricotta sauce.
Pass the remaining parmesan separately.
One serving is 11/2 cups.
VARIATION: Penne with Spinach, Ricotta, and Lemon.
In step 3 omit the asparagus; cook the penne for 8 to10 minutes. While the penne is cooking, cook one 10 ounce (300-gram) package of frozen spinach according to package directions. In step 4 Toss the penne with the ricotta sauce and spinach.