Bettys Spinach Ricotta Broccoli Pasta Bake Recipes

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!

LAYERED RIGATONI BAKE

Steps:

• Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. Cook and drain pasta as directed on package except omit salt; keep warm.
• Spray 3-quart saucepan with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Add onions to saucepan; cook and stir 1 minute. Add butter and flour; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until mixture is smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Gradually stir in milk with wire whisk. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly; boil and stir 1 minute. Remove from heat; stir in ricotta cheese and spinach.
• In separate 3-quart heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat; add tomatoes to oil, crushing tomatoes with spoon. Stir in basil, salt and pepper; cook uncovered about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until mixture begins to simmer and basil wilts. Remove from heat; discard basil.
• Over bottom of baking dish, spread half of the tomato sauce (1 1/4 cups). Arrange half of the pasta, 7 rows lengthwise by 9 or 10 rows widthwise, over tomato sauce. Spread half of the ricotta mixture (2 cups) over pasta. Repeat layers, ending with ricotta mixture. Sprinkle with bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.
• Bake uncovered 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Let stand 15 minutes before serving.

BETTY'S SPINACH, RICOTTA & BROCCOLI PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Firstly, make a white sauce with the first three ingredients (place butter in a saucepan and melt, add the flour and stir and continue to cook briefly. Add the milk and stir over a medium heat until thickened - this will take a few minutes).
• Remove the white sauce from the heat. Add the ricotta, mozzarella and parmesan cheeses and stir well to combine. Allow to cool, while cooling cook your pasta as per the packet directions and drain well. Pre-heat your oven to 180oC/375oF.
• Steam your broccoli (I use the microwave) and remove any water. Add the garlic and stir through to let the fragrance release. Add the thawed frozen spinach and stir through.
• In a greased casserole dish pour in the broccoli/spinach mix, pasta, Italian herbs and white cheesy sauce. Stir well to combine.
• Top with extra mozzarella cheese and bread crumbs. Bake in the pre heated oven for 35-40 minutes. Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes before serving.