Description
A delightful baked rigatoni dish featuring creamy ricotta, spinach, and a rich tomato sauce, perfect for family dinners or gatherings.
Ingredients
Scale
- 500 g rigatoni pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 400 g fresh spinach leaves
- 500 g ricotta cheese
- 1 large egg
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- 800 g tomato sauce
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- Optional: red pepper flakes, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a large baking dish with olive oil.
- Cook rigatoni pasta in salted water until just shy of al dente, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
- Sauté minced garlic in olive oil until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add spinach, cooking until wilted, about 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a mixing bowl, combine ricotta, egg, half of the Parmesan, salt, pepper, oregano, and basil. Stir to mix well.
- Incorporate cooked spinach into the ricotta mixture.
- Add a layer of tomato sauce to the bottom of the greased dish.
- Toss cooked rigatoni with remaining tomato sauce until well coated.
- Layer half of the rigatoni in the baking dish, followed by half of the ricotta-spinach mixture.
- Top with remaining rigatoni and then spread mozzarella and remaining Parmesan on top.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake for another 15-20 minutes, until cheese is bubbly and golden brown.
- Let cool for a few minutes before serving.
Notes
For best results, use high-quality cheeses and allow the dish to cool slightly before cutting.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 400
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: N/A
- Fat: 18g
- Saturated Fat: 9g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 20g
- Cholesterol: 70mg