Sunday Dinner Pasta with smashed peas and ricotta

If you're looking for a great warm-weather meal that's filling but won't weigh you down, this recipe for pasta with smashed peas and ricotta is ideal. To make it even better, you could easily make your own ricotta cheese — really!

This recipe is smashing!

Peas, please

The green peas in this recipe brighten up the dish and provide great taste and nutrition, and the smooth ricotta is a lovely addition. Use either frozen or fresh peas for the recipe to make your dinner prep convenient — they both work well.

Check out this recipe for lemon ricotta risotto >>Say cheese!

If you'd like to make your Sunday dinner more of a family activity, gather the family to help make the ricotta cheese to use in this recipe. It's super-simple to make, and it tastes great — no kidding! Review this recipe for ricotta cheese and get started. Think how proud everyone will be, knowing they made the cheese used in their Sunday dinner.

Pasta with smashed peas and ricotta

Recipe adapted from Real Simple magazine

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:1 pound pappardelle, tagliatelle, fettuccine or linguini1 (16-ounce) package frozen peas, thawed3/4 cup ricotta cheese1-1/4 teaspoons coarse salt1/4 teaspoon black pepper1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oilDirections:

Cook the pasta according to package directions.Meanwhile, pulse the thawed peas in a food processor or blender until chopped (take care not to puree). Add one-half cup ricotta, salt and pepper to the peas and pulse to mix everything together.Drain the pasta and reserve one-half cup of the cooking water. Put the pasta back in the pot.Add the peas to the cooking water, add to the pot with pasta and toss together.Arrange the pasta in a large bowl or platter, top with the remaining ricotta and sprinkle with the chives.Drizzle the olive oil over top. Serve in individual bowls, making sure to distribute the ricotta cheese topping with some in each bowl.

This recipe is smashing, whether or not you make your own ricotta cheese!

More Sunday dinner recipes to try

Whole-wheat pasta with grilled vegetables and sausage
Ballpark chili dogs
Pasta with low-fat walnut pesto