minty ricotta & pea toasts

I just love spring recipes, and one of my favorite foods to cook with during the season of rebirth is peas. They’re so fresh and fun, and they can brighten up almost any dish.

In addition to being a bright green embodiment of spring, peas have some great health benefits, being packed with protein and Vitamin C. OH, and they’re also delicious!

And what makes them even more delicious? Mashing them along with lemony ricotta, fresh mint, and ground coriander. This combination of ingredients is such an explosion of flavor, and adding them to a crusty baguette turns this into the perfect hors d’oeuvre.

it's easy pea-sy

Here’s the lineup…

English peas While I would recommend using fresh English peas if you can find them, frozen peas will also work just as well. Just make sure not to overcook them before mashing!

Olive oil EVOO is where it’s at

Ricotta This fluffy cheese gives these toasts a creamy texture and pairs beautifully with the cheese

Lemon zest Adding this to the ricotta gives the flavor a citrusy zing

Fresh mint leaves The flavor of mint just screams spring!

Coriander and red pepper flakes The coriander adds a nice nutty flavor along with some crunch, and the red pepper gives it some heat

French baguette Cut into slices about ½-inch thick and toasted, the crustier and fresher the better

⟶ the recipe

minty ricotta & pea toasts

ingredients

2 cups shelled fresh English peas or frozen peas

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 cup fresh ricotta

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped

1 tablespoon ground coriander

Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

Pinch of sea salt

1 French baguette, sliced ½-inch thick and toasted

Prep time

10 minutes

Cook time

5 minutes

Total time

15 minutes

8 toasts

instructions

Bring some salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan, and cook (fresh or frozen) peas until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a bowl with ice-cold water to cool off.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt. Once the peas have cooled, drain them again, and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the olive oil and red pepper flakes to the peas, and crush the majority of them with the tines of your fork, leaving about ⅓ of the peas whole.

Spread the ricotta mixture onto the toasts. Top with the peas, mint, coriander, and an additional pinch of sea salt to serve.

⟶ recipe notes

While this recipe makes awesome little appetizer bites, you can also use the ricotta and pea spread on regular sized toast for more of a breakfast or lunch meal. Move over, avo toast!