A Jollof Rice-Inspired Pasta Dish Recipe (with Video)

Spice Mix
1. Combine all spices into a bowl and incorporate.
Whipped Ricotta
1. Add all ingredients to a food processor, blender, or immersion blender.
2. Blend to combine and until you get a fluffy texture.
Nigerian Stew-Inspired Sauce Preparation
1. Quarter 2 onions and a red bell pepper, halve 4 tomatoes and a scotch bonnet (only half needed for this recipe).
2. Using a large pan or broiler in your oven, cook the ingredients from the previous step until nicely charred.
3. Pour some water, scrape any stuck bits, and cook again until water is almost fully evaporated.
4. Add charred ingredients to a blender.
5. Blend until fully smooth.
Nigerian Stew-Inspired Sauce Cooking
1. Slice another onion, sauté over medium-high heat with bay leaves.
2. Once it begins to color, add tomato paste.
3. Cook down for a minute, then add jollof spice mix and cook for another minute before adding the blended sauce.
4. Turn heat down to medium-low and simmer the sauce until most of the liquid is evaporated–the texture of the sauce should be super thick, almost like a paste.
5. Remove bay leaves and add heavy cream.
Pasta
1. Cook pasta 2 minutes less than as specified on package instructions.
2. Reserve 1/4 cup of the starchy pasta water at the end before straining.
3. Once cooked and strained, add pasta to the sauce, along with starchy pasta water and desired amounts of Parmesan.
4. Cook for another two minutes, stirring to incorporate.
5. Once the pasta is a perfect al dente, it is ready to serve.