Lemon Ricotta Baked Penne

I recently saw this recipe through foodgawker and decided to try to make it a little lighter.  I used reduced fat cheeses and added some artichoke hearts which I thought went really well with it.  I boiled some frozen broccoli in the pasta water after I took the past out, and while the pasta was baking, I cleaned out the pan and sauteed the cooked broccoli with some olive oil with red pepper flakes.  I threw some pine nuts on it to serve.


1/2 box of penne
½ onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
about 1/4 container low fat ricotta
about 3/4 a container reduced fat feta cheese, crumbled
finely grated zest and juice of ½ lemon
½ tablespoon dried thyme leaves
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive breadcrumbs:
breadcrumbs
about 10 black and green olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
finely grated zest of ½ lemon
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350°F.  Combine olive oil, onion, and garlic in a pan over medium-high heat and sauté until very tender and starting to caramelize. Remove from the heat to cool slightly. Meanwhile cook the pasta in salted water until al dente.  Add the ricotta, feta, olives, lemon zest and juice and thyme to the onion and mix. Season to taste.  Drain the pasta, reserving the water.  Add the pasta to the cheese mixture and mix well. Add reserved water as needed so it does not dry out.  Transfer to a lightly oiled baking dish.  Make the olive breadcrumbs: combine the breadcrumbs, the olives, the olive oil and the lemon zest in a small bowl. Season to taste. Spread evenly over the pasta mixture and bake until bubbling and golden (15-20 minutes). Serve hot.