Bucatini with Green Beans, Ricotta, Grape Tomatoes and Lemon

This was just a quickie Sunday night dinner, but good enough to share.

We've been knee-deep in gingerbread this weekend, but I'm happy to report our Wizard of Oz creation is off to a stellar start.  After three rounds attempting to master my gingerbread logs for the Tin Man's cabin (the third was the charm), I pulled out Giada's Kitchen for a quick pasta fix recipe.  I made a few minor changes...bucatini in place of whole-wheat linguine, an extra clove of garlic, a splash of white wine, and a bit more ricotta. 

Only a few main ingredients...

Sauteing the green beans in garlic and olive oil briefly before adding a splash of white wine and some of the pasta water

This pasta is creamy yet light, fresh, colorful, and a breeze to throw together.

Bucatini with Green Beans, Ricotta, Grape Tomatoes and Lemon
Adapted from Giada's Kitchen
Original recipe, here
Serves 4

Ingredients
1 pound bucatini pasta
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound French green beans (haricot verts), trimmed and halved
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
Splash of white wine
Zest of 1 lemon

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water. Transfer the hot pasta to a large heat-proof bowl and add the ricotta. Toss to combine.

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 splash of white wine and 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.