Thirty Minute Thursdays: Broccoli Rabe & Ricotta Penne

There are two kinds of people in this world: those who love ricotta cheese, and those who hate it. It seems to be one of those polarizing foods, and there’s really no getting around it. If you love it, lasagna and stuffed shells aren’t the same without it. If you hate it, there’s no method of preparation that will make it palatable. My family comes from the second camp, and somehow, my body synthesized the ricotta-loving gene out of thin air.

At least, that’s what I thought, anyway.

I never eat homemade meals with ricotta in it, because my family doesn’t like it. This means I’ve never bought ricotta before. I only ever eat it at restaurants or in some other sort of prepared dish. I decided to treat myself and buy a container recently – some would go into a pasta dish, this pasta dish that I’m about to share with you, and the rest I would experiment with. I chose part-skim because I wanted something a little leaner than whole milk ricotta, and a little less…artificial, shall we say? Than the chemical-laden nonfat variety. Ever since cracking into this tub of part-skim, though, I’m starting to think that either I’m not really a die-hard ricotta fan – just another poser enthusiast - or I’m such a ricotta purist that only the fresh, full-fat kind will suffice. Sigh.

If you can spare the calories, I would recommend making this dish (or any other in which ricotta plays a pretty prominent role) with the best quality, least processed kind you can get your hands on. This means, I think, more fat. The flavor and texture will really take the meal to a new level. Still, even with part-skim you can get decent results.

I swapped the plain chicken with lean chicken sausage, fresh thyme with dried, and broccolini with broccoli rabe. To be honest, it was missing something – a sprinkling of mozzarella, a dash of sugar, some small addition to heighten the flavors already in the pasta. The higher fat ricotta (or maybe the addition of a few tablespoons of creamy, plain greek yogurt instead) might do the trick, too. Even so, it’s an easy and different recipe, so I enjoyed it, and hope you do, too!