An Italian-inspired recipe for lemon-butter pasta shells with spring greens, ricotta and pangrattato

The first tender cabbages of the year are called spring greens — and they're at the peak between April and June.

Lemon-butter pasta shells with spring greens, ricotta and pangrattato

Ingredients:

For the pasta

• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 200g spring greens, finely sliced
• 250g ricotta cheese
• 1 lemon, zest of
• 50g Parmesan, grated
• 1⁄4tspn nutmeg, grated

For the sauce

• 300g large pasta shells
• 50g unsalted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, grated
• 200ml chicken or vegetable stock
• 100ml double cream
• 1 lemon, juice and zest of
• 75g grated Parmesan

For the breadcrumbs

• 50g breadcrumbs
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1⁄2 lemon, zest of
• A handful of fresh parsley

Method:

1. Bring a large pan of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta shells until al dente. Lay them out on a clean tea towel to dry.
2. Add the garlic to a splash of olive oil in a frying pan and cook for a couple of minutes, then stir in the spring greens. Heat for a couple of minutes to wilt before setting aside to cool. Mix the spring greens with the ricotta, lemon zest, Parmesan, nutmeg and seasoning, mixing until combined. Fill the pasta shells and arrange them in a single layer in a buttered ovenproof dish.
3. Make the sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan. Add the grated garlic and cook for a minute, then pour in the stock. Simmer for a few minutes to reduce and then stir in the cream, lemon juice and zest. Simmer again for a few minutes to thicken and then stir through the Parmesan and taste for seasoning. Pour the sauce all around and over the pasta shells.
4. Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan, add the breadcrumbs, garlic, lemon zest and parsley, then season well. Fry until the breadcrumbs are golden and crisp, then scatter them over the pasta.
5. At this stage, you can put the whole dish in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
6. Preheat your oven to 160 ̊C fan/180 ̊C/350 ̊F/gas mark 4. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for a further five minutes uncovered.
7. Serve immediately with lightly dressed salad leaves.