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The simplest 20 Minute Lemon Butter Pasta with Ricotta and Spicy Breadcrumbs…for laid back summer nights. This pasta is buttery, garlicky, and tossed with caramelized lemon and fresh basil. Serve over creamy whipped ricotta and finish off with spicy breadcrumbs for a delicious crunch. Perfect easy summer dinner, any night of the week. Everyone in the house will enjoy this dish, veggies and all! Added bonus? This pasta uses just one skillet and is a great way to use up that summertime garden basil and zucchini.
I love a good Monday night salad in the summer (assuming it looks something like this chopped salad or my summery Ceasar). But I also love a bowl of Monday night pasta more than you’ll know. Starting the week with a dinner that’s easy and something you can really look forward to is key. Especially in the summer.
When the weather finally turns nice here I want to spend a little less time in the kitchen (to a point…it’s my job, so I’m in the kitchen more than most). And a bit more time outside enjoying the summer season. Summer happens so very quickly here. By late August our trees have already begun to change colors and at night the temperatures are below 32.
It’s a quick season, so I really try to enjoy it while it’s here. Walks around the neighborhood when the sun is slowly setting over the mountains are my favorite this time of year. So I try to do as many of them as possible.
Which brings me to this pasta and the inspiration.
The Inspiration…
Two things inspired this easy, but delicious lemon butter pasta.
The idea came after a Saturday night walk. I really just wanted to make something for dinner that would be quick and create as little mess as possible, since for once the kitchen was actually clean.
For some inspiration, I took walk over to the garden (aka greenhouse, but I love using the word garden so much more…so sticking with garden). I pulled a whole bunch of fresh basil and thyme…love their fragrances.
Growing up, my mom and I loved a simple pasta tossed with basil and butter on summer nights, so I drew all my inspiration from there. But I added caramelized lemon…and a few other things to make it that much more delicious.
Of course. Because that’s just me, and that’s what I do.
Here are the details…
As you can imagine, this comes together quick. Just fifteen to twenty minutes is all you need.
Start with the breadcrumbs. Toast them in a skillet with salty capers and crushed red peppers flakes for a little spiciness. Then finish with sea salt. So simple…I love the added crunch and flavor from the capers.
Tip? Make your own fresh breadcrumbs with a loaf of day-old ciabatta bread. Bonus points to you if it’s a loaf of garlic ciabatta. Pulse the torn pieces of bread in a food processor or simply tear the bread into smaller pieces. It’s so easy to do and really adds a lot of flavor to any recipe calling for bread crumbs.
Once the crumbs are out of the skillet, start boiling the pasta. Using angel hair pasta is kind of key to this recipe. It’s one of the quicker cooking types of pasta. It’s also what my mom and I would always request when my dad would make us our “basil butter pasta”.
While the pasta cooks, caramelize slices of lemon in butter. Then chop the lemon slices and toss with lots and lots of fresh basil.
Next, cook the zucchini in the remaining butter with garlic and thyme. Remove from the heat, add the angel hair pasta and the lemon basil mix and toss.
Spread some ricotta cheese into your bowl, add the butter pasta and finish with those breadcrumbs.
Done. Dinner in fifteen that’s colorful and oh so GOOD.
Oh…that ricotta
Yes, I whipped it in my food processor, which took me an extra five minutes. If you have the time, I’d recommend going the extra mile. While regular ricotta is good, whipped ricotta takes the pasta to new levels.
When you twirl the warm buttery lemon pasta into the creamy whipped cheese, it instantly creates a creamy sauce that melts in your mouth.
Roll your eyes back good, as I like to say. It makes the pasta just a touch more special, which is always ideal.
Looking for other summer pasta? Try these weeknight favorites.
Jammy Cherry Tomato Pasta with Crisp Lemon Rosemary Chickpeas
Antipasto Pasta Salad with Herby Parmesan Vinaigrette
One Pot Lemon Basil, Asparagus, and Sausage Pasta
Lastly, if you make this 20 minute lemon butter pasta with ricotta and spicy breadcrumbs, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Watch the How to video:
20 Minute Lemon Butter Pasta with Ricotta and Spicy Breadcrumbs
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 487 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup Panko breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoon drained capers
- 1/2-1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3/4 pound angel hair pasta
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 6 tablespoons cold salted butter
- 1 lemon, sliced, seeds removed
- 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
- 1 zucchini or yellow summer squash, very thinly sliced
- 3-4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves (or 2 teaspoons dried thyme)
- 8 ounces ricotta cheese, whipped, if desired
Instructions
- 1. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the olive oil, the breadcrumbs, capers, and crushed red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally until the breadcrumbs are toasted all over and the capers fried, about 4 minutes. Remove the breadcrumbs from the skillet. Season with salt. 2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain.3. Meanwhile, set your skillet over medium-high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons butter and lemon slices. Sear until the lemon is caramelized, about 1 minute per side. Remove the lemon from the skillet. Finely chop the lemon slices and mix with the basil.4. To the skillet, add the remaining butter, zucchini, garlic, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until the zucchini is golden, 5 minutes. Watch the garlic closely. Remove from the heat, stir in the pasta and 1/2 of the lemon/basil.5. Spread the ricotta into bowls. Add the pasta. Top with breadcrumbs and additional lemon/basil. Twirl the pasta up with the cheese. EAT and ENJOY.
Notes
To Make Fresh Breadcrumbs: Pulse torn bread in a food processor until roughly the size of peppercorns. I like to use ciabatta or crusty sourdough bread. If using fresh crumbs, toast them 3-4 minutes in the skillet first.
The whipped ricotta is so worth the extra few minutes I never would have thought of that Another winner It was delicious Thank you for all your amazing recipes I’m having so much fun in the kitchen making all these wonderful dishes.
I am so happy this turned out so well for you, Marie! Thank you so much for trying this one! xTieghan
I added a bit of white wine to sauce it up.
I thought the lemon added a bitter taste to it so maybe next time I’d only add grated rind or lemon juice.
Different with the ricotta, but very summery!
Amazing! Thank you so much Susan! xTieghan
This is everything a perfect summer recipe should be. I truly didn’t know what to expect, but at this point I trust that anything you make is going to be amazing, so I just went with it, and I wasn’t disappointed. The caramelized lemons were a game-changer, summery, bitter, savory, slightly sweet; the veggies gave it a healthy feel; the creamy cheese wrapping around the pasta was a dream; but the breadcrumbs, the breadcrumbs were inspired. I never would have thought that capers, breadcrumbs, and chili flakes could come together to make something so good. They perfectly brought together all the other flavors and added an unbeatable crunch. Not gonna lie, I ate leftover breadcrumbs by the handful.
Hi Jessica! All of these comments were so amazing to hear! Thank you so much for trying all of them! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan
I wanted to like this one SO bad but the lemon was way too bitter. I caramelized for a minute on each side but that wasn’t close to enough, so I let the lemon slices keep cooking. My husband, who eats pretty much anything, couldn’t finish it. I’m not sure I would try this again 🙁 i will say the breadcrumbs were very good! I’ve never whipped ricotta too, that was interesting.
Hi Cathy! I am really sorry this did not work out well for you. Is there anything I can help with? xTieghan
Very tasty summery pasta! The toasted breadcrumbs were so so good in this dish. Everyone enjoyed this dish very much, I think I will be making it more often!
Love to hear that! Thank you so much for trying this Rosa!! xTieghan
This was delicious!! The spicy breadcrumbs were such an amazing addition…but the idea of the whipped ricotta! Mind blowing! This will definitely become a staple dinner moving forward, along with so many other recipes of yours! Thanks for so many great, easy dinners (my husband also thanks you)! Also, a Tom Collins pairs really nice with this dish!
Love that so much! I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Lucy! xTieghan
This is SO good! We topped it with shrimp or chickpeas, and everyone was happy. Thank you!
Love to hear that! Thank you Julie! xTieghan
I made this recipe this weekend and could not shut up about how good it was. I instantly sent friends and family a link to the recipe and told them they MUST make it, and that I was CERTAIN they would love it. I’m a slow food prepper, but this meal was quick to make, even for me. Also, those spicy breadcrumbs are the PERFECT topping to this already delicious dish!
Love that!! I am really glad this turned out so well for you, Kara! Thank you for trying it! xTieghan
Never would have added breadcrumbs to pasta or whipped my feta, but I am a convert!
Love that! Thank you Sara! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
I substituted the pasta and ricotta for ravioli stuffed with ricotta and it was delicious! Trader Joe’s has a Lemon Ricotta Ravioli, but I think any ricotta ravioli would work.Two packages of ravioli is enough for the rest of the ingredients to pair well. I just wanted to let you know in case you or anyone else was looking for a substitution (I made the rest of the recipe as written). Also, I’ve tried it both with fresh breadcrumbs and panko and it’s better with fresh (I used sourdough!) Thank you so much! I love your recipes.
Amazing!! I am really glad this turned out so amazing for you, Hope! Thank you! xTieghan
Made this – fantastic! The toasted bread crumbs are the best! And i’ve never whipped ricotta, it was life changing! I’ve never liked the grainy texture, but whipped, oh my goodness, amazing. I added some grilled chicken on the side for my carnivores, went perfectly with the pasta.
Thank you so much Sarah!! I am really glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
Wow! Love it. My husband took a bite and starting just pointing to the plate and making happy sounds. :). Beautiful blend of flavors. Sophisticated yes simple enough that my kids liked it too. Will be making it again
Thank you so much!! I am so glad this was so amazing for the both of you! I hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! xTieghan
No words….. it’s delicious!! I also added cherry tomatoes and it worked out great.
Thank you so much Allison! xTieghan
Very disappointed. I was so excited to try this recipe and it would have been pretty great except the lemon was far too bitter and it ruined the entire meal which my boyfriend and I ended up having to throw away unable to finish.
Hi Heather! I am really sorry to hear that. Is there anything I can help with? I hope you love some other recipes of mine! xTieghan
We used bucatini pasta instead of Angel hair… Was so good. Next time will serve with salmon.
Thank you so much Danielle! xTieghan