Move over spaghetti: Your wider cousin, spaghettoni, is moving up the trending charts. Though only slightly thicker than regular spaghetti, the extra width helps it soak up the flavors of the sauce–in this case tangy lemon juice and fragrant scallions and garlic. This dish is cooked in just one pot (no need to bring water to a boil beforehand!), so it’s a super quick and easy choice for weeknights. We top it off with creamy ricotta, salty Parmesan and bitter lemon zest for a bold but balanced finish.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 25 min |
| Active: | 25 min |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 bunch scallions, whites and greens thinly sliced and separated
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- Pinch red pepper flakes
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 12 ounces spaghettoni (or thick spaghetti)
- 1/3 cup grated Parmesan (about 1 ounce)
- 1/3 cup whole-milk ricotta
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed pot (an oval Dutch oven or round braiser works well here, but any large pot will do) over medium-high heat. Add the scallion whites, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and starting to caramelize, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the oregano, crushed red pepper flakes and garlic and cook, stirring, until the garlic is softened and fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add the lemon juice, 5 1/2 cups water, 1 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper to the pot, scraping up any brown bits that may have formed on the bottom. Put the spaghettoni in the pot and spread it out as much as you can. Bring the water to a boil and cook, stirring frequently to make sure the pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot, until the pasta is al dente, the mixture looks creamy and starchy and almost all of the water is evaporated, 10 to 12 minutes.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the Parmesan, ricotta and lemon zest until the cheeses have melted and the sauce is very creamy, about 1 minute. Divide the pasta into 4 bowls and garnish each with scallion greens and a few more cracks of black pepper.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 4 servings |
| Calories | 452 |
| Total Fat | 12 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 70 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 16 g |
| Cholesterol | 15 mg |
| Sodium | 396 mg |
Reviews
ok of a dish. 1 bunch of scallions equal 2, 5, 9, 12???
This is very similar to my brown butter lemon pasta I make a few times a month BUT with cheese and other spices! This is an amazing dish! It’s such a comfort type dish and one that if you make your family growing up, they’ll remember it for years to come. It’s delicious and creamy, a little tart with some spice, just an all-around balanced dish!
I suggest follow a scampi recipe,
Using same herbs
I don’t suggest adding parm with ricotta . Use parm to sprinkle on spaghettini when ready to eat.
Take out tonight
Using same herbs
I don’t suggest adding parm with ricotta . Use parm to sprinkle on spaghettini when ready to eat.
Take out tonight
I used an oval dutch oven which worked well. I used Bucatini pasta. I followed recipe but instead of using 1 lemon squeezed, I used 1/4 lemon juice. Gives the sauce a nice tang.The water in dutch oven pot takes a bit to boil because its a thick pot. Took about 10 minutes on high heat to get to a boil then 12-15 minutes to reduce. I thought it would be too much water left but when you add ricotta and parm, it is needed to make creamy. It is probably a cup of water left in the pot. The pinch of crushed red pepper did nothing. Leave out or add 1/4 tsp. I would prob add 2 crushed garlic cloves and increase the oregano to 1 0r 1 1/2 tsp. Could not taste oregano. It was good but could not taste spices. Definitely make again. My family loved. 12 ounces was good for 3 people in my family.
I had trouble with the first step burning, but on the third try (with lower heat), it all worked and was delicious. I used pasta from the Italian market – Rustichella d’Abruzzo Cavatelli (8.8 oz) and 5 cups of water.
Quick, easy, inexpensive and delicious. I used 5 cups of water rather than 5.5 and the pasta came out perfectly. I will definitely be using this recipe regularly.
Since pasta usually comes in 16oz boxes, I’m not leaving 4oz laying around so how is this recipe adjusted & adapted to the usual 16oz amount of pasta?
Delicious & very easy.
Before i make this delicious looking dish, is the quantity of water accurate? Does 5 1/2 cups of water evaporate in 10-12 minutes?
Super easy, but needs more lemon. Added some crab oregano to the scallion greens