ricotta, greens, & caramelized onion pasta

One day last week, I was flipping through one of my favorite cookbooks, Moosewood Restaurant's Simple Suppers, hoping for inspiration. Two pasta dishes sounded good and I couldn't decide which to make, so I took bits and pieces from each recipe to come up with this concoction:

Ricotta, Greens, & Caramelized Onion Pasta

Serves 2

olive oil

1 bunch greens (collard, chard, or kale - I used yellow chard)

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

2 cloves garlic, minced

6 oz. pasta (I used fusili)

8 oz. ricotta

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

Begin to heat pasta water in a large pot. In a separate large pan, heat about 2 Tbsp. olive oil over medium-low heat. Once hot, add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until caramelized (about 10 minutes). Turn the heat to low if they begin to brown too quickly. Add an additional Tbsp. of olive oil and red pepper flakes.

Once the water is hot, cook pasta according to directions. Add the greens to the onion mixture; stir and cook until the greens are bright green and just starting to wilt.

When pasta is done, drain and return to pot. Add 1/4 cup water, ricotta, and greens mixture. Mix well. Serve topped with grated parmesan and freshly ground black pepper.

The combo of onions, greens, and ricotta was perfect. Yum!