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Pasta with Pecorino Cream, Lemon and Basil
Pasta with Pecorino Cream, Lemon and Basil is a delicious and creamy recipe full of Mediterranean flavors. It's a perfect recipe for summer, when the basil is tender and fragrant, excellent both hot and cold.We used a short pasta, durum wheat mezze maniche rigate. Paccheri, rigatoni or penne are also good.Short pasta is more suitable for this recipe if you want to enjoy the dish at room temperature or cold, because it keeps better when cooked al dente. If you prefer your pasta to be served hot, you can use long pasta, such as spaghetti.
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
22 mins
Servings: 4
Calories: 650 kcal
Course:
Main Course
Cuisine:
Italian
Ingredients
- 350 g pasta ¾ pound of Mezze Maniche rigate. You can also use any other type of short pasta, such as paccheri, rigatoni, or penne.
- 1 lemon large and organic
- 200 g pecorino ~ 2 cups of, Romano
- 4 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- 20 leaves fresh basil
- 1 ½ liters water 6 ⅓ cups
- ½ tablespoon salt coarse
Instructions
- First boil the water to cook the pasta. IMPORTANT! It's important to use less water than usual to cook the pasta. In fact, the rule is that you need about 1 liter (~ 4 cups) of water for every 100 grams (3.5 oz) of pasta. For this recipe, however, we recommend using about ½ liter (~2 cups) of water for every 100 grams of pasta. In fact, the goal is to have starchy water.
- Also remember to salt the water lightly. Half a tablespoon is enough. Pecorino Romano is very salty and if you add too much salt, you risk ruining the dish.
- While waiting for the water to boil, grate the lemon zest. Be careful to grate only the superficial yellow part of the zest. The white part can make the dish bitter.
- grate the Pecorino Romano cheese so that you have it ready.
- Finally, remove the basil leaves from the stalks. Wash and dry thoroughly between two paper towels.
- Shred the basil leaves on a cutting board. Save 5-6 leaves whole for the final garnish.
- When the water comes to a boil, add the pasta.
- Meanwhile, in a large non-stick frying pan - over very low heat - add the grated pecorino cheese and the olive oil.
- Add ½ cup of the cooking water (rich in starch) to the pecorino and begin stirring to form a cream.
- After one minute, turn off the heat and continue stirring. Add more water if necessary.
- When the pasta is cooked (follow the pasta cooking time on the package), drain it into the pecorino cream and stir.
- Still off the heat, add the chopped basil and lemon zest and mix well.
- Serve hot or at room temperature. If you like, you can add more lemon zest and grated pecorino to each plate before serving. Garnish creamy pecorino and lemon pasta with a few crispy basil leaves. See below for instructions on how to make crispy basil leaves for decoration.
Cup of Yum
Nutrition Information
Serving
100g
Calories
650kcal
(33%)
Carbohydrates
70g
(23%)
Protein
28g
(56%)
Fat
29g
(45%)
Saturated Fat
11g
(55%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
2g
Monounsaturated Fat
14g
Cholesterol
52mg
(17%)
Sodium
1497mg
(62%)
Potassium
283mg
(8%)
Fiber
4g
(16%)
Sugar
3g
(6%)
Vitamin A
345IU
(7%)
Vitamin C
15mg
(17%)
Calcium
574mg
(57%)
Iron
2mg
(11%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 650
% Daily Value*
| Serving | 100g | |
| Calories | 650kcal | 33% |
| Carbohydrates | 70g | 23% |
| Protein | 28g | 56% |
| Fat | 29g | 45% |
| Saturated Fat | 11g | 55% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 2g | 12% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 14g | 70% |
| Cholesterol | 52mg | 17% |
| Sodium | 1497mg | 62% |
| Potassium | 283mg | 6% |
| Fiber | 4g | 16% |
| Sugar | 3g | 6% |
| Vitamin A | 345IU | 7% |
| Vitamin C | 15mg | 17% |
| Calcium | 574mg | 57% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.