What do all of those things above have in common?  Apparently, they are delicious when served together with some ricotta in a bowl of gemelli.

This recipe is inspired by (ok, almost entirely shamelessly stolen from) Dinner: a Love Story. In fact, when we saw this recipe on their blog we ended up re-arranging our dinner plans so that we could make this.  We were happy with the decision.

Gemelli with Asparagus, Tomatoes, Ricotta, and Lemon Zest

(From Dinner: A Love Story with a bit of Z and A)

1 lb gemelli

1/2 c of grated parmesan

4 tbsp ricotta

5 cloves of garlic

1 bunch of asparagus

1 pint of tomatoes

1 1/2 tsp of lemon zest (or the equivalent of one lemon)

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

This is a light, and relatively easy pasta to prep.  Start by setting a pot of water (with salt and olive oil) to boil.   Then slice the tomatoes in half and the garlic cloves super thin.

Chop the asparagus and make sure to remove the tough parts at the bottom.  (We tend to lop off a fairly generous amount to be safe!)

Zest the lemon and grate the parmesan.  Watch the clock when you get the gemelli boiling because you are going to want to toss the asparagus into the boiling water in the final three minutes of the pasta’s cooking time (so since our gemelli said to boil for 9 minutes, we threw in the asparagas at the 6 minute mark).  Drain both together.

In a separate sautee pan, add 1 tbsp of olive oil and then toss in the tomatoes and garlic until the tomatoes are wilted.  Toss with the salt and remove from the heat.

sauteing garlic and tomatoes

Dump the gemelli, asparagus, tomatoes and garlic into a bowl.  Toss in the lemon zest and combine.

Add in the 4 tbsp of ricotta and incorporate, and then do the same with the 1/4 cup of parmesan.

Top with chopped basil…

…and more parmesan…

… and enjoy!  If, like us, you sometimes search the web for an answer to the dinner-time “what are you craving” question, perhaps you will find this idea, as we did, to be just what you were looking for.

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