Ricotta and lemon veggies recipe

Ricotta and lemon veggies is a zesty addition to your Sunday roast. Pancetta, an Italian bacon will give a nice salty addition to this dish. Cook it in the oven, then break up to smaller pieces and sprinkle on top of the cooked grean beans and lettuce wedges. To continue with the Italian style, whisk together a delicious dressing by using Italian whey cheese, ricotta, with lemon zest and juice. Ricotta is low in fat and has a mild taste so it provides a nice base to the salty meat and lemon. This ricotta and lemon veggie dish is an interesting starter on its own, but it works particularly well with a chicken roast. For a full roast dinner, go with a courgette, pea shoots and pomegranate salad for a little bit of green on the side. To top it all off, make some herby smashed new roasties and enjoy them with homemade lemon and herb mayo (all the recipes can be found by searching on our site). Delicious!

Ingredients

• 250g green beans
• 6 slices pancetta
• 250g ricotta
• 2tbsp rapeseed oil
• Zest and juice 1 lemon
• 3 little gem lettuce hearts, quartered

Method

1. Cook the green beans for 5 mins in boiling salted water. Drain and run under the cold tap to cool.
2. Heat the oven to 200C fan, gas 7, and cook the pancetta slices on a baking tray for 5 mins, until they are crisp. Let them cool down, then break up.
3. To make the dressing, whisk the ricotta cheese, oil, lemon zest and juice, and 2tbsp water until the mixture is smooth, then season.
4. Tip the beans and lettuce wedges onto a serving plate and drizzle over some lemon dressing. Sprinkle over the pancetta and serve.