Pasta is perhaps my favorite comfort dish of all time. You can serve it with a sauce that takes all day or one that takes only ten minutes, and it will be a delightful and comforting dinner either way. This pasta, Lemon Ricotta Spaghetti, is more of a ‘ten-minute’ spaghetti – it’ll take you a little more time than it takes to cook the noodles.

It’s amazingly fast, and its creamy lemony flavor is one you’ll want to return to again and again. When I’m hungry and in a hurry, I’ve been known to toss pasta in butter and noodles and call it a day. It’s nice, but this dish takes about the same amount of time and is far more gratifying! The sauce is made while the spaghetti cooks, so it doesn’t take much more time.

And when I say “make the sauce,” I really mean whisking a few ingredients together. Ricotta, olive oil, parmesan, garlic, lemon zest and juice, and chili flakes come together quickly. When the pasta is done, add it to the heated pot along with the ricotta mixture, a little of the reserved pasta water, and some arugula. The remaining heat melts the cheese and brings everything together in a flash.

I’m a big fan of arugula, and I believe its peppery bite here is the ideal contrast to the bright and creamy ricotta sauce, but if you’re not, you can substitute spinach or even basil. It’s a versatile process that allows you to match the ricotta with any ingredients you have on hand, and the results are always wonderful.