Spinach Ricotta Slice Food

SPINACH & RICOTTA PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• 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!

SPINACH RICOTTA GRILLED CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil, spinach and scant 1/2 teaspoon salt. Saute until the spinach has completely wilted. Transfer the spinach to a strainer set over a bowl. Cool to room temperature. When the spinach is cool enough to handle, squeeze out as much liquid as possible.
• Roughly chop the spinach and add it to a medium bowl. Add the ricotta, mozzarella, Parmigiano-Reggiano, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir to combine and set aside.
• Lay the sliced bread on a clean work surface. Coat the top of each slice with butter. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Lay 4 of the slices in the skillet, butter-side down. Scoop about 1/3 cup of the ricotta mixture onto each slice. Spread the mixture evenly to cover the whole slice, then top with the other slices of bread, butter-side up. Cook until the first side is golden and toasted, 2 to 3 minutes. Carefully flip the sandwiches and cook until the bread is toasted and the cheese is melty, an additional 2 to 3 minutes.
• Transfer the sandwiches to a clean work surface and let them cool for 1 minute before slicing.

RICOTTA -SPINACH CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Beat all the ingredients (except spinach) together and mix until well blended Stir in the spinach.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Grease a 1 1/2 quart casserole dish.
• Pour in the spinach mixture.
• Bake apprx 35 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA CHEESE SAUCE FOR PASTA

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a pan and fry the onion on a gentle heat until soft but not browned.
• Add the thyme, garlic (if using) and spinach.
• Continue to cook on low heat until the spinach leaves have wilted, approximately 2-3 minutes. If you're spinach was very wet and there is a lot of water in the pan, drain some off otherwise the sauce will be very runny. If you're not sure drain it into a separate bowl you can always add some later if you feel it's too thick.
• Add the ricotta cheese and mix, using a wooden spoon, until it forms a smooth sauce.
• Season, using nutmeg (I use more than stated above, but then I really like nutmeg), salt, freshly ground pepper and powdered vegetable stock to taste.
• Sprinkle with toasted pine nuts and serve straight away on your favourite pasta.

CRUSTLESS SPINACH RICOTTA QUICHE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Grease a 9" pie dish.
• Steam the fresh spinach until just wilted.
• (Or thaw frozen spinach and steam for about 5 minutes).
• Press the water out of the cooked spinach and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a small skillet and cook the onions until soft but not brown.
• Combine the ricotta cheese, eggs, dill, pepper, and nutmeg in a large bowl.
• Add the prepared spinach, tomatoes, and onions.
• Mix thoroughly and place mixture into the pie pan.
• Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over the top and bake for about 30-35 minutes.
• Let the quiche cool for 5 or 10 minutes before serving.

SPINACH RICOTTA MUSHROOM QUICHE (LIGHTER)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Prick pie shell (9" pie pan) and prebake in hot oven for 5-8 minutes until lightly browned. Turn oven down to 350 degrees when pie crust is done.
• Cook spinach until thawed and warm. Drain very well, squeezing excess moisture out with hands. (Do not precook spinach if using fresh).
• Saute onion, garlic and mushroom with cooking spray and stir in spinach, salt, nutmeg and black pepper.
• In separate bowl, combine milk, cheesed and eggs and blend well. Add spinach mixture and stir well.
• Pour into prebaked pie shell and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until custard is set.