Spinach And Ricotta Macaroni Cheesecake Recipes

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.

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 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.

SPINACH AND RICOTTA MACARONI CHEESECAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F. Spray 9-inch springform pan with cooking spray. Wrap outside bottom and side of pan with foil to prevent leaking.
• Cook and drain macaroni as directed on package.
• Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix spinach, ricotta cheese, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, 1 egg, 1 clove garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and the pepper.
• In large bowl, mix macaroni, 1 1/2 cups of the pasta sauce, 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese, remaining 2 cloves garlic and remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt. In small bowl, lightly beat remaining 5 eggs, and stir into macaroni mixture.
• Place one-third of the macaroni mixture in bottom of pan. Gently spread ricotta filling in middle of macaroni mixture, leaving 1-inch border around edge. Spoon remaining macaroni mixture around edges and on top of ricotta filling. Ricotta filling should be completely enclosed by macaroni mixture.
• Bake until firm to the touch and top is golden brown, about 1 hour and 5 minutes to 1 hour and 20 minutes (at least 165°F). Place on cooling rack; let stand 5 minutes. Run thin knife around edge to loosen. Remove side of springform pan. Let cool 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat meatballs as directed on package. Heat remaining sauce in 3-quart saucepan. Add 1/2 cup of the heated pasta sauce to meatballs; toss to coat.
• Just before serving, transfer baked macaroni to serving platter; place heated meatballs around top edge. Spoon remaining sauce in middle of top of "cheesecake." Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese over top of "cheesecake." Cut in slices to serve with more Parmesan cheese on the side, if desired.

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.

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.