Servings
Font
Back
5.0 from 6 votes

Ricotta Pasta Bake

This pasta bake is perfect for using up all of the fresh summer vegetables in your garden or at the farmer’s market, including basil pesto, zucchini, and asparagus. Add some pasta, cheese, and shrimp and you have a complete and delicious meal!

Prep Time
20 mins
Cook Time
20 mins
Total Time
1 hr
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 485 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: North American

Ingredients

  • 2 zucchini sliced in rounds
  • 10 asparagus stalks cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp kosher salt
  • 8 oz rigatoni cooked according to package instructions
  • ¾ cup pesto I recommend this pistachio pesto
  • ¾ lb raw shrimp
  • 1 cup ricotta cheese Use this homemade version
  • 1 cup mozzarella shredded

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 Fahrenheit.
  2. Put the cut zucchini and asparagus on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Toss the vegetables to make sure they’re evenly coated.
  3. Cook the vegetables for 30 minutes or until roasted to your liking.
  4. In the bottom of a 9x13 pan, add the cooked pasta and prepared pesto. Mix to fully coat the pasta.
  5. Add the cooked vegetables to the pasta, then add the raw shrimp.
  6. Scoop spoonfuls of ricotta over the baking dish, then sprinkle the entire top of the dish with shredded mozzarella.
  7. Place the 9x13 in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, until the shrimp is cooked all the way through and the mozzarella is melted.
  8. Enjoy!

Notes

  • Recipe copyright The Foreign Fork. For educational or personal use only. 
  •  
  • I use rigatoni but you can use anything you’d like. I’d recommend a short, hollow noodle. 
  • You can use normal
  • pesto
  • , but if you really want an exciting dish, I would recommend
  • pistachio pesto
  • ! It adds another layer of uniqueness to the recipe.
  • If you have the means to do so, I would recommend buying fresh ricotta from the cheese counter at a local market. I also LOVE making my own
  • ricotta
  • in an
  • Instant Pot
  • ! You can certainly use store-bought, prepackaged ricotta, but, trust me, the high quality stuff makes all the difference. 
  • Again, I would buy high quality mozzarella, not the packaged, pre-shredded stuff if possible. I like buying a block at my grocery store and grating it on a cheese grater at home.
  • Raw, deveined, no tails, no shells. I use medium-large sized shrimp, but you can use any size that works for you.
  • If you want to make this dish even quicker, you can use already prepared vegetables. It would taste good with almost anything that’s in your fridge! 
  • I love sprinkling some chopped pistachios on top of this dish! 
  • Keep some extra pesto on hand in case you want extra sauce on your noodles after they’re done baking.
  • Pasta: I use rigatoni but you can use anything you’d like. I’d recommend a short, hollow noodle. 
  • Pesto: You can use normal pesto, but if you really want an exciting dish, I would recommend pistachio pesto! It adds another layer of uniqueness to the recipe.
  • Ricotta: If you have the means to do so, I would recommend buying fresh ricotta from the cheese counter at a local market. I also LOVE making my own ricotta in an Instant Pot! You can certainly use store-bought, prepackaged ricotta, but, trust me, the high quality stuff makes all the difference. 
  • Mozzarella: Again, I would buy high quality mozzarella, not the packaged, pre-shredded stuff if possible. I like buying a block at my grocery store and grating it on a cheese grater at home.
  • Shrimp: Raw, deveined, no tails, no shells. I use medium-large sized shrimp, but you can use any size that works for you.
  • If you want to make this dish even quicker, you can use already prepared vegetables. It would taste good with almost anything that’s in your fridge! 
  • I love sprinkling some chopped pistachios on top of this dish! 
  • Keep some extra pesto on hand in case you want extra sauce on your noodles after they’re done baking.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1serving Calories 485kcal (24%) Carbohydrates 36g (12%) Protein 24g (48%) Fat 27g (42%) Saturated Fat 9g (45%) Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 6g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 110mg (37%) Sodium 964mg (40%) Potassium 430mg (12%) Fiber 3g (12%) Sugar 4g (8%) Vitamin A 1368IU (27%) Vitamin C 13mg (14%) Calcium 285mg (29%) Iron 2mg (11%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 485

% Daily Value*

Serving 1serving
Calories 485kcal 24%
Carbohydrates 36g 12%
Protein 24g 48%
Fat 27g 42%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g 6%
Monounsaturated Fat 6g 30%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 110mg 37%
Sodium 964mg 40%
Potassium 430mg 9%
Fiber 3g 12%
Sugar 4g 8%
Vitamin A 1368IU 27%
Vitamin C 13mg 14%
Calcium 285mg 29%
Iron 2mg 11%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.