Soul Satisfaction
By Gina Caputo
I had a rotten day recently and was seeking some comfort and soul satisfaction in my kitchen. These are the days when I crave the comfort of ricotta cheese (regular or almond!) This One Bowl Wonder is unctuous without being heavy and is like eating a hug.
Ingredients:1 box of your favorite noods (pasta, zoodles, garbanzo, etc)
2 broccoli crowns, cut to bite size
1 bunch lacinto kale, stemmed and bite sized
1 can of garbanzos, drained and rinsed
2 cloves of garlic, pressed
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
Sea salt
1/3 cup EVOO (Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
1 lemon, zested then cut in half
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
8 oz milk or nut ricotta cheese
Boil water for noodles and cook your noodles. If you're using zoodles, you'll saute them in a little extra virgin olive oil while your broccoli is in the oven.
Meanwhile, turn on the broiler in your oven. Toss broccoli, kale and beans with garlic, red pepper flakes, sea salt and olive oil and put on two cookie sheets. Run each under your broiler for 5-7 minutes (about 8 inches away). Squeeze lemon halves over these when they’re done. Mix your ricotta with the chopped parsley, the lemon zest and some sea salt. When the noodles are done, reserve 1/2 cup of cooking water then drain. Add the ricotta mixture to your noodles and add pasta water to make the ricotta sauce smooth so it coats all the noods. When combined, add the broiled veggie/beans and serve hot! You can always add a glug of lemon infused olive oil at the end!
