Easy Spinach Ricotta Pasta Food

SPINACH AND RICOTTA PASTA

Steps:

• Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions, or until al dente. Drain and reserve a cupful of the cooking water.
• If using fresh spinach, cook it with a splash of water in a saucepan for 1-2 minutes, or until wilted, then leave to cool. Squeeze all the liquid out of the spinach using your hands and roughly chop.
• Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Once foaming, add the spinach, garlic, cooked pasta and a splash of the pasta cooking water and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add more of the cooking water if needed. Add the ricotta and cook gently while mixing with two forks to break it up.
• Season with the nutmeg, percorino, salt and pepper and serve.

LOW-FAT SPINACH AND RICOTTA PASTA

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until onions are soft and fragrant, about 5 minutes, making sure the garlic doesn't brown.
• Add spinach and basil to the skillet and stir until wilted.
• Then add ricotta cheese and milk (and optional lemon juice and zest) to skillet and stir well.
• Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup or so of the cooking water.
• Combine cooked pasta and ricotta mixture in a large bowl. If it is too thick, add a bit of the cooking water to the mixture.
• Serve immediately with some freshly ground black pepper and an optional 1 teaspoon of grated Parmesan cheese per serving.

LEMON RICOTTA PASTA & SPINACH

Steps:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package directions until al dente. Meanwhile, make the ricotta sauce.
• In a medium bowl, combine ricotta, olive oil, parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon zest and juice. Season with 1/4 tsp of salt and a good pinch of pepper.
• Stir until well combined, taste and make sure you're happy with the seasoning.
• In the last minute of the pasta's cooking time, reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, then and add spinach to the pot. Stir well and push the leaves down to submerge them in water.
• After 1 minute, drain and return pasta and spinach to the same pot.
• Add the ricotta sauce and part of the reserved cooking water. Stir well to evenly coat the pasta in the sauce, add more cooking water as needed, you want a smooth and creamy texture.
• Serve immediately and garnish with grated or shaved Parmesan cheese, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and lemon wedges if desired (for extra freshly squeezed juice, but I leave it optional). Plus, I love adding a good pinch of red pepper flakes, you might give it a go. Enjoy!

SPINACH-RICOTTA STUFFED SHELLS

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a large wide pot over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook until golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, oregano, red pepper flakes, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook, stirring, until thickened, 15 to 20 minutes; season with salt. (You should have about 4 heaping cups of sauce.)
• Make the stuffed shells: Preheat the oven to 375˚ F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta shells and cook as the label directs for baking, about 9 minutes. Rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. Spread out on a baking sheet.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the spinach and cook, tossing occasionally, until wilted, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a large plate lined with a kitchen towel. Squeeze to remove any excess liquid, then finely chop.
• Put the spinach in a large bowl and add the ricotta, mozzarella, parsley, Parmesan, lemon zest, beaten egg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Stir until combined.
• To assemble, spread about half of the sauce in the bottom of a 10-by-14-inch baking dish. Evenly fill the shells with the spinach-ricotta mixture using a spoon, or pipe it in using a pastry bag. Arrange the shells side by side, open-side up, in the baking dish on top of the sauce, then top with the remaining sauce.
• Cover the dish with foil and bake until heated through and the sauce is simmering around the edges, about 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake until any shells or cheese poking through the sauce are lightly browned in spots, about 10 more minutes. Let sit 10 minutes. Top with more Parmesan and red pepper flakes.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA BAKED PASTA

Steps:

• Set oven to 350 degrees.
• Butter a 4-quart baking dish.
• Cook pasta in boiling water, until firm-tender; drain.
• Place the cooked pasta in the casserole dish.
• In a large pot of boiling water BLANCH the spinach (don't overcook!); cool, squeeze out excess liquid, then roughly chop the spinach.
• In a bowl combine spinach, ricotta, sour cream, eggs, Parmesan cheese, dill, pepper and salt.
• Spoon mixture over the pasta in the casserole dish; toss lightly to combine.
• Bake for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.
• Let stand for 5 minutes before serving Cut in wedges-- enjoy!

SPINACH AND RICOTTA PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Tomato sauce - Combine the tomatoes, garlic salt, chili flakes, basil, oregano and rosemary.
• Combine the cooked pasta with spinach, ricotta and nutmeg.
• Place the pasta in a dish and top with tomato sauce. Bake in oven at 350F for 15-20 minutes. Serve with fresh ground black pepper and parmasan.

ONE-POT SPINACH, TOMATO, AND RICOTTA PASTA

Steps:

• Combine tomatoes, spinach, broth, water, and garlic in a large pot or Dutch oven. Cover and cook until the broth comes to a simmer, about 5 minutes.
• Uncover and add the pasta. Stir pasta until it softens and is submerged in the liquid. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the pasta is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid, about 10 minutes.
• Stir in ricotta cheese and season with salt and pepper. Stir and allow ricotta cheese to heat through. Top with Parmesan cheese before serving.

PASTA WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA CHEESE RECIPE

Steps:

• Cook pasta as directed on package, omitting salt.
• Meanwhile, cook and stir bacon in large skillet on medium heat until crisp. Remove bacon from skillet with slotted spoon; drain on paper towels. Discard all but 2 Tbsp. drippings from skillet. Add onions and garlic to reserved drippings; cook 2 to 3 min. or until crisp-tender, stirring frequently.
• Add ricotta, milk and Parmesan to onion mixture; cook 2 min., stirring frequently. Stir in spinach; cook on medium-low heat 2 to 3 min. or until heated through, stirring occasionally. Add tomatoes, crushed pepper and bacon; mix well.
• Drain pasta. Add to spinach mixture; mix lightly.