Thursday, September 8, 2011

baked radiatore with ricotta + spinach

Ricotta is one of my favorite ingredients- it's high in protein and low in fat and adds creamy deliciousness to any meal, and when paired with fresh spinach, basil and garlic, you have an irresistible combo. Radiatore is a small, dense little pasta that I thought would work great in a creamy bake...and it did. You could also add things like tomatoes, sundried tomatoes, spinach, broccoli or asparagus.


Serves 4

 You'll need:
Radiatore pasta- 8 oz.
Ricotta Cheese- 1 1/2- 2 cups
Mozzarella Cheese- 3/4 cup, shredded
Egg- 1
Fresh basil leaves- 10
Garlic- 3 cloves, minced
Tomatoes- 2-3, chopped
Spaghetti sauce- optional

Preheat oven to 375. Spray non-stick casserole dish. (I used a smaller 1.5 quart)

Bring salted water to boil and cook pasta. Do not overcook as it will also be baked.

Sauté garlic and tomatoes in olive oil 3-4 minutes until tender.

In food processor (or by hand), blend ricotta, egg, mozzarella cheese, basil, salt and pepper until mixed. This fresh herbed ricotta mix was sooo tasty I could have eaten it alone, (and had to try not to since there is raw egg in it...) I want to put it in everything!


Put drained pasta back in pot & mix with tomato/garlic mix and ricotta cheese mix. Season to taste with salt & pepper. Pour a light layer of spaghetti sauce on the bottom of the dish then the pasta mix. Top it with cheese. You can also add another layer of sauce on top, but I don't think it's necessary if you put tomatoes inside the dish.


Bake 20 minutes.


[baked pasta with ricotta, baked radiatore pasta with tomatoes and basil, pasta casserole, vegetarian pasta, healthy pasta]

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