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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This looks delicious, I haven’t tried it yet. I wonder if this could be made with fresh spinach rather than frozen?
Sure Jennifer, You can use fresh spinach here. You’ll need to cook it first, then drain as with the frozen. Enjoy!
I just wanted to chime in here that I used fresh, uncooked, spinach in mine and had no complaints with the recipe in case others may want to try as well. 🙂
I have used fresh Sspinachand just sauted it first in a bit of oil. Works great!
This was really good and reheated well. So much easier than stuffing cannoli shells!
Thank you for a great recipe and website. Can’t wait for your cookbook!
Absolutely loved this dish which paired well with the delicious salad you suggested!
Can I freeze the left-over pasta?
Hi Cathy, with all of the dairy it has, I’m not sure it would freeze well– sorry!
Dear Jenn,
I have made so many of your recipes and continue to make them. All of them fantastic and TRUE. But, I must say this Penne and Spinach receipe brings me back to my youth. My Italian mother would make a penne and ricotta with red sauce that was to die for.. This reminds me of that, but just a bit better.
Thank you for ALL your receipes. I can’t wait to have them all in one place… Maybe a book !
I made this dish and my family absolutely loved every bite. I must admit I did not have any ricotta so I left it out. It was very creamy and tasty without the ricotta. Thanks so much for providing tasty, easy to follow creative receipes.
Can fresh spinach be used instead of frozen?
Hi Dani, fresh spinach will work here. You’ll need to cook it first, then drain as with the frozen.
Thank you?
I live in HI at the moment and it’s difficult to find Fontina here! There is a Whole Foods that carries it, but it’s not terribly convenient to our home. Can you recommend any substitutes? Gruyere? Gouda? Kindly advise! Thank you.
Hi Veronique, Any mild-tasting melting cheese would work well. I’d probably go with whole milk mozzarella (not fresh). Hope you enjoy!
Delicious! I used 2% milk instead of half and half and it was still deliciously creamy. I also added diced, pre-cooked chicken sausage from Trader Joe’s for protein which worked really well. My husband and 1 year old both devoured it.
I made this pasta dish last night. Wow, what a hit this was, no one missed the meat. I got home late from work, but had this in the oven in about 20 mins and 20 mins later we sat down to this delicious dish. My daughter who is picky had 3 helpings. It is creamy, flavorful and comforting all at the same time.
Made this for break-fast and it was wonderful! A crowd pleaser for everyone and smelled as good as it tasted. A wonderful blend of fresh favors. Definitely a keeper.!