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.
What 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
Ingredients
- 1 lb 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
- 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 (220°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Lightly oil a 9 x 13-inch (23 x 33-cm) 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 (120 g) 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
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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Loved the penne with ricotta, spinach and fontina! Husband loved it too! Will definitely make again. Good way to incorporate greens into our diet.
Definitely will make this again! I’m always looking for ways to add veggies to meals. My grandchildren ate seconds. That’s what I call a success!! Thanks, Jennifer.
Are you suppose to grate the fontina I assume?!
Yep!
Fabulous Meal! I made this last night for dinner. Even my finicky 10 year old ate the pasta. I did lighten up the recipe using low fat ricotta, fat free cream cheese and a mixture of 1% milk with half-n-half. It was very good.
This was fantastic. The whole family loved it. I substituted part-skim ricotta because I had it already. Thank you for a perfect weeknight recipe!
I made this early in the day. The flavors were wonderful but it was a bit dry. Do you think the pasta absorbed the liquid because I made it ahead of time? Any suggestions?
Hi Tory, I don’t think that should make a difference. I’m wondering if it was a bit overbaked– does your oven run hot? Maybe next time try keeping it covered with foil for about half the baking time, then remove the foil to let it brown a little on top.
Tory I made it ahead of time and mine was delicious, but a bit dry too. Pasta absorbs a crazy amount of liquid, so I think that’s what happened. I love making things ahead of time, so I think I’ll try increasing the lovely sauce next time.
OMG this was so delicious! The cheese sauce was so creamy and full of flavor!
We’ll definitely making it again!
This looks like the perfect weeknight dinner. What can I substitute for half-and-half? They don’t sell it in Australia
Hi Mia, You can use half whole milk, half cream.
Just made this for a post trip to the beach dinner. Can’t wait. Perfect after a day at the Oregon coast. Glad to hear it can be baked the next day.
How far ahead would be safe to make this before putting in the oven? Thanks and we just love all your recipes. My family usually asks at meals “is this Jenn’s” hahaha!
Hi Abbie, So glad you’re family is enjoying the recipes! I would say you could make it a day ahead; just cover it tightly in the fridge.