Baked Penne with Spinach, Ricotta & Fontina
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This easy vegetarian pasta bake gives you all the flavor of classic spinach and cheese cannelloni without the fuss.
This vegetarian pasta bake is a quick and easy riff on classic spinach and ricotta cannelloni. Instead of stuffing traditional pasta shells, I toss penne pasta in a creamy sauce made with spinach, basil, and ricotta. After topping the dish with two flavorful cheeses, I bake it until golden and bubbly. To ensure a smooth and creamy texture, I add mascarpone (or cream cheese) to the sauce, which eliminates any potential graininess that can sometimes occur with ricotta-based sauces. While the pasta bakes, I usually toss a big Italian salad to complete the meal.
you’ll need to make Baked penne with spinach, ricotta & fontina
how to make Baked penne with spinach, ricotta & fontina
To begin, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and add the penne. Cook until al dente, about 9 minutes. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven, so you want it a bit underdone.
Drain the pasta, then place it back in the pan and set aside.
Meanwhile, drain the spinach and squeeze as dry as possible. In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the dry spinach, basil, ricotta, mascarpone (or cream cheese), half-and-half cream, 1 cup fontina, 3 tablespoons Parmigiano Reggiano, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
Process until puréed.
Add the spinach mixture to the pasta.
Stir to combine.
Transfer to a baking dish.
Top with the remaining fontina and Pecorino Romano cheese.
Bake until the pasta is bubbling and the top is golden in spots, about 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then serve.
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Baked Penne with Spinach, Ricotta & Fontina
This easy vegetarian pasta bake gives you all the flavor of classic spinach and cheese cannelloni without the fuss.
Ingredients
- 1 pound penne
- 1 (10-oz) package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
- ½ cup packed basil leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 4 oz (½ cup) mascarpone cheese (or cream cheese)
- 2 cups half-and-half
- 6 oz (2 cups) grated fontina or whole milk mozzarella, divided
- 5 tablespoons finely grated Pecorino Romano (or Parmigiano Reggiano), divided
- 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Lightly oil a 9 x 13-inch ceramic baking dish.
- Cook the penne in boiling salted water until al dente, about 9 minutes. (It will cook more in the oven so you don’t want it completely cooked.) Drain and rinse under cold water, then place the pasta back in the pan and set aside.
- In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the spinach, basil, ricotta, mascarpone (or cream cheese), half-and-half, 1 cup of the fontina (or mozzarella), 3 tablespoons of the Pecorino Romano (or Parmigiano Reggiano), garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Process until puréed.
- Add the spinach mixture to the pasta and stir to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining fontina and Parmigiano Reggiano. Bake until the pasta is bubbling and the top is golden in spots, about 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then serve.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 692
- Fat: 34 g
- Saturated fat: 20 g
- Carbohydrates: 65 g
- Sugar: 7 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 31 g
- Sodium: 956 mg
- Cholesterol: 112 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Perfect!! My husband is an avowed carnivore but has agreed to a weekly meatless dinner. This was my choice this week. He quickly went back for seconds and offered post dinner compliments (not unusual, he is an appreciative diner). I will definitely make this again, so flavourful and satisfying.
Lovely dish as one of our meat free dinners
The last time I made this recipe I put 1/2 the unbaked recipe in individual french white containers, topped with the cheese and froze them. This week I pulled them out at noon to thaw a bit then baked them at dinner time. These little dishes turned an otherwise crumby day into a warm and comforting evening with time to chat and clear my head instead of boiling, stirring and doing dishes. Having a hearty meal waiting in the freezer is so very valuable. The flavors and richness of this dish makes it five stars.
This is such a fabulous recipe. Will not disappoint.
Great meatless Monday meal. Served it with a tomato salad and garlic bread and everyone at the table young and old was happy!
Could not pass up this recipe. Penne with Spinach, Ricotta & Fontina…..Eye appealing and healthy ingredients. This is a perfect dish for my honey who just had dental surgery. Put it together tonight, had the ingredients on hand) but will bake and serve it tomorrow. The dish will absorb the ingredients and should bake up just fine. All of Jennifer’s recipes are a breeze to follow. I have not been disappointed yet. Will serve it with Jenni’s delicious French apple cake. It is very light and delicate for an apple cake. DB
Great winter time side dish. Easy way to get a vegetables into the little ones.
Definitely will use again.
Really a delicious, easy recipe!
Hi Jenn,
I did make this recipe and it was delicious. I did substitute fresh baby spinach for frozen. It only took a minute to wilt it on the stove. It was a rich and wonderful dinner to have on a cold winter day. My husband thought it was the best!
This dish is great. My 3 year old hates spinach, but in this dish I can actually get her to eat some! I didn’t have fontina cheese and so just used and italian blend instead, it was great!
one of the best baked pasta i have come across.. additionally with a healthy add on veggiee..such a guilt free receipe even for healthy freaks around 🙂