Pennette pasta with ricotta cheese, speck and chard

A quick pasta recipe? Pennette with ricotta and speck with the addition of a few tasty chard leaves, are just what you need. Pasta recipes are always the fastest solution available and they come to your aid in the most desperate situations calling for a family supper after a busy day, an unexpected evening in the company of friends, or even – and why not – a Sunday lunch. After all, pennette with ricotta and speck are truly delicious. 

With a bit of leftover ricotta in the fridge and a few slices of  speck the sauce is ready to serve. And if you want to add another flavour to this sauce for suppressing sudden hunger pangs, check your freezer for chard or any other leaf vegetable: it will team up perfectly with these ingredients.  

The Recipe:

The secret of any fast recipe is to make the most of your time, so first of all, put the water on the hob and add salt when it starts to boil. In the meantime, cut the speck into strips, and then finely chop the onion and fry it until golden in a non-stick pan with a little oil. Now add the speck and toss it for a few minutes, adding a spoonful of water to contrast the oil.  

If the chard leaves are already cooked and lukewarm, add them to the onion and speck sauce after chopping them roughly, otherwise blanch them in the pasta water and, when ready, remove them with the aid of a skimmer and then add them to the sauce in the pan. Cook long enough to flavour the chard with the sauce.  

As soon as the water starts to boil, throw in the pennette and cook them until they are al dente (cooked but still pleasingly firm). Just before straining the pasta, add the ricotta cheese to the speck, turn on the heat at a low setting and, together with a spoonful of pasta cooking water, blend to a cream. Strain the pasta and add it to the pan to flavour with the sauce. If you wish, you can now add some parmigiano reggiano, otherwise put it on the table so that those who want it can help themselves.