I find cooking for one to be a challenge; making single serving portions and using up perishable food items fast enough can be tough. I recently found myself with too much ricotta and too much spinach, so I decided to kill two birds with one stone and make a simple lunch of lemon ricotta pasta with wilted spinach. It's easy, fast, and surprisingly filling. A little garlic thrown in with the spinach might make for a nice addition, and the recipe could easily be doubled to serve two.
You'll need:
1/2 lemon
1/2 cup ricotta cheese (I used part skim)
1 cup whole wheat pasta
1 1/2 cups spinach
1/2 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
Serves one.
Add the pasta to boiling water and cook according to the instructions. While the pasta is cooking, place the ricotta in a small bowl. Use a grater to add lemon zest to the ricotta and then add the juice from the lemon (about 1 tablespoon) along with salt and pepper, to taste. In a nonstick pan add the olive oil and spinach and cook on high until the spinach is completely wilted (about 2-3 minutes). When the pasta is done, drain the water and add the spinach and lemon-ricotta mixture. Mix well and serve immediately with a small wedge of lemon.
