Spinach Ricotta Pasta Bake

Spinach Ricotta Pasta Bake is made with creamy ricotta and masses of spinach stirred via pasta, topped with pasta sauce, cheese and then baked till bubbly and golden. It tastes like a Spinach and Ricotta stuffed shells – but manner quicker to make!

Spinach and ricotta. We stuff things with it (Cannelloni, Rotolo, shells!), we layer things with it, we roll it up in puff pastry and we wrap it in pastry.

Due to the fact that is a lazy meal, I make this with my shortcut home made pasta sauce. It’s a shortcut recipe due to the fact I don’t cook dinner it at the stove with sautéed onions and garlic like I in the main do. All I do is add pasta sauce flavourings proper into a bottle of tomato passata, shake then pour it over the pasta bake. To compensate for skipping the sautéed garlic and onions, I add greater flavours into the sauce.

Sub for tomato passata?

Tomato passata is pureed strained uncooked tomatoes, unflavoured. It’s bought in tall bottles within the pasta phase of maximum supermarkets in Australia nowadays, and fees around similar to canned tomato. if you’re within the US or Canada, I’ve visible it at Walmart and here are more than one Amazon – Mutti (wonderful Italian brand i use) and Cento (an excellent price one). Or sub with what you realize as tomato sauce.

INGREDIENTS:

• 300g / 10 oz ziti pasta, uncooked, or other short pasta of choice
• 1.5 cups (150g) mozzarella cheese , shredded (or more!)

RICOTTA MIXTURE:

• 1 lb / 500 g ricotta (Note 1)
• 1/2 cup (50g) parmesan cheese , grated
• 2 garlic cloves , crushed
• 350g / 12oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess liquid pressed out
• 1 cup (100g) grated Mozzarella cheese
• 3/4 tsp salt & pepper

SHORTCUT PASTA SAUCE:

• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves , minced
• 24 oz / 700g 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

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
2. Pasta Sauce: Pour out about 1/four cup of the passata (to make room to feature flavourings). upload the last Pasta Sauce ingredients into the bottle, screw the lid on and give it a shake.
3. Cook pasta for time according to packet MINUS 1 minute. 
4. SCOOP OUT 1 mugful pasta cooking water, drain and set apart.
5. Ricotta aggregate - mix Ricotta combination elements in a very big bowl. Use a dash of pasta cooking water if needed to make it creamy.
6. Add pasta and stir to mix. transfer to a heatproof baking dish.
7. Pinnacle with Pasta Sauce, pinnacle with cheese. Loosely cowl with foil.
8. Bake for 25 minutes, then get rid of the cover and bake for a further 10 mins or till the cheese is melted and bubbly.
9. Serve even as warm and sparkling!

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