Baked ricotta, tomato and green bean pasta salad recipe

Name: Baked ricotta, tomato and green bean pasta salad
Yield: Serves 8
Ingredients: 375g ricotta; 1½ lemons, zested, plus 6 tsp juice; 75g finely grated pecorino; 1 tsp olive oil; 2 x 250g packs Tesco Finest sweet mixed baby tomatoes, larger ones chopped, smaller ones halved; 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 1½ tsp caster sugar; 2 tbsp capers, rinsed; 350g pasta shapes (we used casarecce); 175g green beans, trimmed; 1 pot growing mint, leaves picked

Created by The Tesco Recipes team

This veggie-packed pasta salad, serving 8, is great for summer entertaining or bring-a-dish gatherings. Bursting with fresh flavours, it's super-tasty but a healthier choice.

See method

Serves 8
40 mins, plus cooling
354 calories / serving

Vegetarian

Shop your ingredients

Tesco Ricotta Cheese 250 G
375g ricotta
£1.50
£6.00/kg
Tesco Lemons Each
1½ lemons, zested, plus 6 tsp juice
£0.37
£0.37/each
Tesco Grated Pecorino Cheese 50G
75g finely grated pecorino
£1.50
£30.00/kg
Tesco Olive Oil 250Ml
1 tsp olive oil
£3.10
£12.40/litre
Tesco Baby Plum Tomatoes 300G
2 x 250g packs Tesco Finest sweet mixed baby tomatoes, larger ones chopped, smaller ones halved
£1.00
£3.33/kg
Tesco Extra Virgin Olive Oil 250Ml
4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
£3.40
£13.60/litre
Silver Spoon Caster Sugar 1Kg
1½ tsp caster sugar
£2.25
£2.25/kg
Tesco Capers 190G
2 tbsp capers, rinsed
£2.40
£20.00/kg DR.WT
Tesco Macaroni Pasta 500G
Aldi Price Match
350g pasta shapes (we used casarecce)
£0.69
£1.38/kg
Tesco Green Beans 220G
Aldi Price Match
175g green beans, trimmed
£0.85
£3.86/kg
Tesco Fresh Cut Mint 30G
Aldi Price Match
1 pot growing mint, leaves picked
£0.50
£16.67/kg

Method

Preheat the oven to gas 6, 200°C, fan 180°C. Mix the ricotta with the lemon zest, a good grinding of black pepper and the pecorino in a bowl; season. Spread onto a lined baking tray to about 2cm deep. Drizzle with the olive oil, then bake in the oven for 30 mins until golden and firm. Cool completely.
Meanwhile, put the tomatoes in a large mixing bowl with their juices, then use your hands or a potato masher to roughly squash. Stir in the extra-virgin oil, lemon juice, sugar and capers, and season.
Cook the pasta to pack instructions, adding the beans for the last 4 mins. Drain, rinse under cold water until the pasta is just warm, then drain well again.
Stir the pasta and beans through the tomatoes, then tear in most of the mint leaves. Crumble the baked ricotta into chunks and lightly mix half through the salad. Transfer to a serving platter and top with the rest of the ricotta and the remaining mint leaves to serve.