My grandparents used to have macaroni with ricotta quite often. It’s a simple yet tasty way of dressing your pasta. Aside from adding some black pepper, the dish only included those two ingredients. I’m a big fan of ricotta. It’s the freshest cheese I know of. I like using a dollop or two of ricotta next to my macaroni and Sunday sauce. Ricotta and pastina was always a favorite as a child, and even as an adult for some comfort food. And a special mention of ricotta filled ravioli and manicotti. I love ricotta cheesecake, cannoli, and all the other sweet Italian treats made with ricotta. It’s a very versatile ingredient used in Italian cooking.

Adding pesto to macaroni with ricotta is an excellent way of adding a creaminess to your pesto dressing. You can use a traditional pesto of basil, garlic, Pecorino Romano cheese and pine nuts or add other ingredients to suit your taste. I like adding sun dried tomatoes to my pesto. https://cookingitaliancomfortfood.com/2010/08/29/pesto-with-sun-dried-tomatoes/ In this case I used basil, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, walnuts and Pecorino. Of course adding extra virgin olive oil to any pesto is part of the recipe. You can make your own pesto or buy ready made pesto. I usually make my pesto in the summer when my basil plants are in full production. I pack it in small containers and freeze to use all year long.

Here is a basic recipe for making homemade pesto:

3 cups fresh basil leaves

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed

2 cloves garlic

1/4 cup grated Romano cheese

1/4 cup roasted pignoli nuts

Salt to taste, about 1 teaspoon

Add all the ingredients to a food processor except the olive oil. Pulse the ingredients until they are all blended. In in steady stream, add the olive oil until the pesto is creamy. Add more if needed.

Pasta with ricotta and pesto

• 15 ounces of whole milk ricotta
• 1/2 cup pesto of your choice
• 1 pound linguine or spaghetti
• Salt and pepper

In a medium bowl add the ricotta and mix in the pesto well, stirring till combined. Allow to reach room temperature.

In the meantime, boil water in a 5 quart pot with a tablespoon of salt and add the linguini. Cook according to package directions. Save two cups of the pasta water before draining the pasta.

Drain the pasta and return to the pot. Add the ricotta pesto mixture and mix well. Add some pasta water to get the consistency you like, you don’t want it watery but add till you get a creamy texture.

Add salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately with some grated Pecorino Romano cheese.