Just as you would make a pesto, I combined loads of fresh basil and garlic in a food processor. But in an effort to pump in a whole bunch of veggies, I added some chopped spinach to the mix. To bring the sauce together, I blitzed in a handful of cheeses and half & half. No cooking required! Simply fold in the cooked pasta and pour into a baking dish.
This Pasta Bake would serve as a great meal on it's own served with a fresh salad and maybe toasty garlic bread. Or you can spoon alongside roasted chicken or salmon.
It's easy to prep in advance and pop in the oven just before meal time making this the perfect recipe for company. Just be sure to cut the cook time on your noodles short to avoid creating rotini mush in the oven. Remember, the pasta will continue to cook as you bake it!
Spinach Pesto Pasta Bake
Ingredients
· 10oz frozen spinach, thawed
· 3oz fresh basil, stems removed
· 4 garlic cloves
· Zest of a lemon
· 1 cup ricotta
· 4oz cream cheese, room temp
· 2 cups shredded fontina
· 6 tbsp grated parmesan
· 1 tsp salt
· ¼ tsp black pepper
· ¼ tsp nutmeg
· 12oz rotini
· 2 roma tomatoes, sliced thick
Squeeze the spinach until dry. Add to the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until the spinach is very finely chopped. Add the basil, garlic, and lemon zest. Pulse until finely chopped and combined with the spinach.
Add the ricotta, cream cheese, 1 cup of fontina, and 3 tbsp parmesan to the food processor. Blend until smooth. Mix in the salt and pepper.
Cook rotini in an abundance of salted water about 2 minutes short of the package instructions for al dente noodles. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven. Drain the pasta.
Preheat oven to 400F. Grease a 2.5qt baking dish.
Stir the spinach sauce into the rotini. Pour the rotini into the baking dish. Smooth the top. Line the top of the pasta with slices of tomato. Sprinkle with remaining fontina and parmesan.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Serves 4-6
Gluten Free Friendly! Substitute the pasta for GF Barilla Rotini.
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