Lemon Ricotta Asparagus Pasta (dairy-free)

A couple months ago I found Kite Hill Cheese at my local Whole Foods and decided to get the Chive Cream Cheese Style Spread. The girls wanted to do the 21 Day Dairy Free Challenge and I thought it would be a great opportunity for them to try some new products. A great chance to also cut dairy from my oldest daughter’s diet as she has some issues with it and see if cutting it out will help. I have to say the cream cheese did not disappoint. Where others in the past were like oil this was delicious.

While at Natural Products Expo West I had the opportunity to try out many other Kite Hill products. If you follow me on Instagram I also posted from Expo about these “life changing cheeses”. For those who have a dairy allergy, those with a sensitivity, those cutting out dairy, or dairy free for any reason these are a must try! If even the cheese lovers in my family love them they have to be good! When I was vegan there was nothing really good for cheese options but I was ok without it. As I transitioned into a vegetarian lifestyle for medical reasons, and more “flexitarian” now, I realized I like cheese but it still doesn’t always like me. Not being able to eat soy cheese (eliminated soy for medical reasons) I wasn’t too bummed because I wasn’t a fan.

Forget the belly aches and tummy troubles that I would deal with I can totally get down with these delicious Kite Hill dairy free cheeses. So after being gone for over 2 weeks and I was out at the grocery restocking the fridge I had to get the Kite Hill Ricotta and I knew exactly what I wanted to make with it, a Lemon Ricotta Asparagus Pasta! We don’t eat pasta very often anymore but when we do it has to be good! I was craving pasta and asparagus and this totally hit the spot, even the girls came back for more! This is not as heavy as a Fettuccine Alfredo, but packed with flavor and freshness of asparagus that is a perfect pair as things start to warm up and bloom outside.

Again it goes without saying but I will say it again these are my own opinions. I purchase the products myself at Whole Foods and when I find a new product I (my family) love I get excited and want to share them with you. Also my recipes are meant to inspire, you can easily adjust the recipe to suit your nutritional needs/diet and make this with traditional ricotta cheese.

With a recipe I’m this excited about I have to share it on Meatless Monday! Yes it’s Meatless Monday once again and I hope you either link up with Deborah and I and share your meatless creation below or at least check out some of the links and get a little Meatless Monday inspiration! Check out what others are making and be sure to share and spread the Meatless Monday love. Cheers!

Lemon Ricotta Asparagus Pasta
Makes 4-6 servings
12oz pasta of choice, used pappardelle noodles
1 bunch, about 25 steams, fresh asparagus
8oz ricotta cheese (used Kite Hill, dairy-free/vegan Ricotta)
1/3-1/2c full fat coconut milk (used So Delicious Culinary Coconut Milk)*
1 shallot
1 lemon
1 clove of garlic
1-2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
pinch of fresh ground nutmeg
sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

*Increase to 1/2 cup if you want it creamier.

Preheat oven to 400F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Trim ends of asparagus and lay across prepared baking sheet. Slice shallot into slices about 3/16″ thick and lay on the prepared baking sheet with the asparagus. Drizzle asparagus and shallot with a little extra virgin olive oil or spray with evoo spray, season with salt and pepper. Cook asparagus for 20-25 minutes, turning once half way through. While the asparagus is cooking bring a large pot of water to a boil, being sure to salt water generously. In a small pan heat 1 table spoon of extra virgin olive oil, grate in garlic, and sauté. Whisk in coconut milk. Grate lemon and add in lemon zest to the coconut milk mixture, remove from heat. Remove asparagus from the oven, slice lemon that you used for zest and drizzle juice from the lemon over the asparagus. Drop pasta and cook according to package instructions, if using fresh pasta that only takes a couple of minutes it works best to do it now if using a dry pasta you may want to drop a couple minutes earlier. Cut asparagus into chunks about 1″ in length, slice shallot rings in half. Whisk in 4oz of the ricotta cheese into the coconut milk sauce. Season sauce with a little fresh ground nutmeg, sea salt, and pepper to taste. When pasta is ready drain, reserving some of the starchy cooking water. Toss pasta with the lemon ricotta sauce adding in a little of the starchy water if needed. Toss with asparagus and shallots. Plate and top with a little of the remaining ricotta cheese. Enjoy!
Spring is in the air and Lemon Ricotta Asparagus Pasta is for dinner tonight! #MeatlessMonday @MeatlessMonday #dairyfree Click To Tweet

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In sharing the Meatless Monday love I have also linked this recipe with The Fit Foodie Mama and Running on Happy‘s Meatless Monday link up!