SPINACH RICCOTTA PASTA BAKE

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Spinach Ricotta Pasta Bake is made with creamy ricotta and loads of spinach stirred through pasta, topped with pasta sauce, cheese and then baked until bubbly and golden. It tastes like a Spinach and Ricotta stuffed shells – but way faster to make!

Spinach and ricotta. We stuff things with it (Cannelloni, Rotolo, shells!), we layer things with it, we move it up in puff cake and we envelop it by pastry.So for what reason don’t we mix it through pasta bakes?This is a languid Monday supper I’ve been making for quite a long time. I know it’s somewhat extraordinary, yet it truly is delicious. It has an aftertaste like spinach and ricotta cannelloni or stuffed shells – however without the labourLook at this heap of gooey, succulent delightfulness… .no dry ricotta in MY pasta prepares!

Concerning the ricotta, any sort will work here. Some are creamier and gentler than others which makes it simple to blend into the pasta.

On the off chance that yours is the thicker all the more brittle sort, it’s a simple fix – simply mix through a portion of the pasta cooking water to relax it up. The starch in the pasta cooking water will make the ricotta combination tie better compared to utilizing typical water or milk to relax the blend. A similar impact as throwing pasta through pasta sauces just prior to serving – it’s called emulsifying the sauce (what a show off!😂)

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This truly poses a flavor like a Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni* – without the fiddly stuffing of the cannelloni tubes. Since however much we as a whole love eating those stuffed containers of pasta covered in pureed tomatoes and liquid cheddar, no one’s bouncing off the love seat to offer to help stuff them. Right?? 😂

lazy meal for midweek that tastes like spinach and ricotta stuffed shells or cannelloni – but without all the labour! Feel free to use your favourite store bought pasta sauce if you prefer. Reheats well and freezes well too!

  • Ingredients
  • 300g / 10 oz ziti pasta, uncooked, or other short pasta of choice
  • 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese , shredded (or more! For topping)
  • RICOTTA MIXTURE
  • 1 lb / 500 g ricotta (Note 1)
  • 1/2 cup parmesan cheese , grated
  • 2 garlic cloves , crushed
  • 350g / 12oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess liquid pressed out
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese , shredded
  • 3/4 tsp salt & pepper
  • SHORTCUT PASTA SAUCE
  • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 700g / 24oz tomato passata (1 standard bottle) (Note 2)
  • 1 tsp EACH onion and garlic powder
  • 2 tsp dried Italian Mixed Herbs (Note 3)
  • 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes , to taste (optional)
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • Black pepper
  • 2 tbsp water (if needed)
  • TO SERVE
  • Parmesan cheese , grated.
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Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
  • Pasta Sauce: Pour out about 1/4 cup of the passata (to make room to add flavourings). Add the remaining Pasta Sauce ingredients into the bottle, screw the lid on and give it a shake.
  • Cook pasta for time per packet MINUS 1 minute.
  • SCOOP OUT 1 mugful pasta cooking water, drain and set aside.
  • Ricotta Mixture – Mix Ricotta Mixture ingredients in a very large bowl. Use a splash of pasta cooking water if needed to make it creamy.
  • Add pasta and stir to combine. Transfer to a heatproof baking dish.
  • Top with Pasta Sauce, top with cheese. Loosely cover with foil.
  • Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
  • Serve while hot and fresh!

Recipe Notes:

  1. Ricotta – Some ricottas are soft and creamy, others are a bit drier and more crumbly. Use pasta cooking water to loosen ricotta so it can be tossed through the pasta (see video for consistency).
    Spinach – or use 1 large bunch of fresh, shredded.
  2. Mixed Italian Herbs is a dried herb mix you can get from the supermarket which costs the same as other herbs. You can substitute with a mix of other dried herbs – basil, parsley, oregano and thyme go particularly well.
  3. Tomato passata is strained pureed canned tomatoes. Readily available in supermarkets nowadays, usually alongside pasta sauces, same price as canned tomatoes. US/Canada best sub – what you know as Tomato Sauce (eg. Hunts)
  4. Storage – Keep leftovers in the fridge and reheat in microwave. To freeze, assemble but do not bake, then freeze. Thaw then bake per recipe.
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