Yes, but don't use too much. And it's actually easier to cook the sauce in a big skillet, and then add the pasta to it, without draining the pasta. I fish it out of the pasta water with a spider or tongs, and don't shake the water off it. Then if necessary, and it often is, I add a bit more of the water. But you want it still to be boiling. And of course after you add it, you keep cooking the pasta in the skillet for a (very) short time.
I've never made ricotta. Or mozzarella. Apparently both are pretty easy, once you get the hang of it.