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 is on my list of recipes to try this week. My family won’t eat anything without meat in it though, so I’d have to add something. Any recommendations?
Hi Kia, I probably wouldn’t add any meat to this but you could definitely serve some grilled chicken, salmon, or Italian sausage on the side.
That’s what I’ll do, thanks!
Hi there I would love to try out your recipe but if only making for 2 of us would halving each quantity of ingredient work?
Sure – hope you enjoy!
This was a hit twice over! First, I made it for my Italian friend and her mother. My friend had just had a baby and this was one of the fridge meals I brought over. They raved about it!! The second was for a “girls night in”. One of my girlfriends doesn’t eat beef or chicken so I needed a hearty main with no meat. This was perfection!
Can this be frozen before baking, and then thawed and baked?
Thanks,
Carmina
Hi Carmina, this has a lot of dairy so I’ve hesitated to tell people that it’s okay to freeze. However, a few readers have commented that they’ve baked and frozen it and have been happy with the results. If you do want to freeze it, I’d definitely bake it first.
The dish was great overall and flavorful. The sauce is quite rich, so if you’re not a fan of cheese, I’d be cautious of this recipe. The pasta got a little soggy when I ate it as leftovers, but the taste was still amazing. Easy to pull together!
We loved this dish. Followed as written. The sauce filled my processor very full, so move fast while poring into bowl with pasta to mix.
It’s a keeper!
I made this with orecchiette pasta and it turned out very delicious! I added some chopped mushrooms and diced red bell pepper, which I gently sautéed first, and that was a flavorful addition. I also did not use the garlic, as I thought the flavor of the basil might get lost and overwhelmed with it. This was a delicious dish for dinner, and could easily serve six people with a salad on the side. We loved it.
Made this terrific dish a few weeks ago and everyone loved it!! Followed directions exactly as written and turned out perfect! I did cover with foil for the first 3/4 of baking time. Really yummy! I will be making it again for Easter dinner along with my usual ham/chicken/potatoes to satisfy my vegetarian daughter.
Another wonderful recipe Jenn! Thanks so much!
Hi Jenn. Another one of your fabulous, successful dishes! My husband is not a pasta fan and will not eat cooked cheese. Fortunately, one of our granddaughters is vegetarian as our a couple of our friends. Love having them over for dinner as I get to spoil myself with lovely dishes like this! I’ve done so many of your recipes from your blog that I bought your cookbook just to say thank you
❤️
Simple, quick, easy, and delicious.
Made this tonight with a few minor changes. Added chicken and leeks which I sauté before adding to the pasta. Used coffee cream which is 10% as that is what I had on hand and had fresh spinach so used that. I didn’t bother cooking the spinach and simply added it with the other ingredients in the food processor. It worked well. Overall, my family liked the dish. I seemed to have the opposite issue than others who have posted in that I had a little too much sauce. I did bake at 350 for 30 mins. I might try leaving it a little longer next time to reduce the sauce. I liked the chicken as I think it would have been too creamy without it. Would definitely make this again, great way to use up about to expire spinach.