Not all cream sauces are super-rich. This pasta gets its creamy sauce from a combination of part-skim ricotta and pasta water, which come together to make a really easy, lighter cream sauce. Don’t leave out the lemon zest; it brightens the flavor and adds a wonderful lemony aroma as well.

　　

Ingredients

Serves 4 to 6 servings

　　1 pound whole-wheat linguine

　　1/2 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

　　3 tablespoons olive oil

　　1/2 pound French green beans (haricots verts), trimmed and halved lengthwise

　　1 garlic clove, chopped

　　1 teaspoon salt

　　1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

　　1 cup halved cherry tomatoes

　　Zest of 1 lemon

　　

Step 1

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking water. Transfer the hot pasta to a large heat-proof bowl and add the ricotta. Toss to combine.

　　

Step 2

Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, warm the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the green beans, garlic, salt, and pepper and sauté for 4 minutes. Add the reserved pasta cooking liquid and continue cooking until the beans are tender, about 4 more minutes. Add the ricotta-coated pasta to the pan with the green beans and toss to combine. Add the tomatoes and toss gently. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with the lemon zest. Serve.

　　

Nutrition Per Serving

Per serving: 730.0 calories

　　150.0 calories from fat

　　17.0g total fat

　　3.5g saturated fat

　　10.0mg cholesterol

　　640.0mg sodium

　　124.0g total carbs

　　15.0g dietary fiber

　　5.0g sugars

　　30.0g protein

　　#### Nutritional analysis provided by [TasteBook

　　using the USDA Nutrition Database]( )

　　Reprinted with permission from Giada's Kitchen: New Italian Favorites by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2008 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.