Ingredients
Ricotta Spinach Pasta Bake
500g (1 lb) noodles (macaroni, penne, elbow) cooked according to directions
300 g (10 oz) fresh spinach (baby spinach is wonderful if you can get it) washed and chopped (Note: the so-called pre-washed spinach is always dirty, so I highly recommend washing it carefully in spite of what is promised on the packaging)
250 g (9 oz) ricotta cheese
1 beaten egg
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
50 g (2 oz) grated Parmesan cheese
50 g (2 oz) grated Cheddar or any other hard cheese
How to do it
1. Cook the pasta.
2. Prepare the tomato sauce as per my recipe, omitting the red wine.
Fresh spinach before it's wilted
3. Wilt the spinach in dry pan over medium heat until it’s soft – this will take a couple of minutes only. Drain the spinach to get as much water out of it as you can, and let cool off.
4. Mix the spinach, ricotta, egg, salt, pepper, ground nutmeg and Parmesan cheese together.
5. Mix the pasta, sauce and ricotta mixture together and place in a large, greased oven-proof dish. Sprinkle the grated cheddar cheese on top
6. Bake for about 25 minutes at 170ºC (325ºF) for about 25 minutes, or until the cheese on top is bubbling and starting to brown.
After one minute in the pan
Serve with green salad.
Spinach and ricotta - a marriage made in heaven
