Green Pasta Bake

bloomingolive

I'm sure I didn't invent anything special, but I threw this together off the top of my head today, and I thought I'd share!

-70 gr. whole-wheat pasta (I used rigatoni)
-four cubes (170 gr) frozen spinach
-60 gr. ricotta (about two big tablespoons)
-two handfuls fresh, grated parmesan cheese
-salt and pepper to taste

Bring a glass of water (roughly 200ml) to a boil, add the spinach and cook for 3-5 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, add salt and cook the pasta.
Meanwhile, puree the spinach, adding tablespoons of the pasta water as you go, until you reach a consistency you like.
(I used about three, along with a dash of olive oil, for my immersion blender. A food processor would work just the same)
In a bowl, mix the spinach puree with the ricotta, adding a teaspoon of the parmesan, salt and pepper.
Drain the pasta, add it to the green puree, mix well, and transfer to a glass or terracotta dish.
Sprinkle the grated cheese on top and cook in a preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until golden and crispy.
Enjoy!

It adds up to 450 calories, but it's a HUGE serving.





--
notes:
* I found the puree got a little dry after cooking, so I want to try and add a splash of cream, or substitute for the ricotta altogether.
*add plenty of salt to the spinach, mine were almost bland.
*If I had more room, calorie-wise, I'd add diced cheese in the pasta (mozzarella and provola) or bits of cooked Italian sausage or groundbeef!