Cheesy Spinach Baked Penne

Cheesy Spinach Baked Penne might be a good recipe to expand your main course recipe box. This recipe serves 8. One serving contains 355 calories, 23g of protein, and 11g of fat. For $1.36 per serving, this recipe covers 26% of your daily requirements of vitamins and minerals. 36 people were glad they tried this recipe. A mixture of kosher salt, part-skim mozzarella, penne, and a handful of other ingredients are all it takes to make this recipe so delicious. From preparation to the plate, this recipe takes approximately 1 hour and 21 minutes. It is brought to you by Foodnetwork. Overall, this recipe earns an awesome spoonacular score of 94%. If you like this recipe, you might also like recipes such as Cheesy Baked Penne, Cheesy Baked Chicken Penne, and Cheesy Jalapeno Popper Baked Penne.

Servings: 8

Preparation duration: 25 minutes

Cooking duration: 56 minutes

 

Ingredients:

1 sprig fresh basil plus 1/2 cup leaves, torn, for garnish

Freshly ground black pepper

1 28-ounce can no-salt-added crushed tomatoes

1 16-ounce container 1-percent cottage cheese

1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed

3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

Kosher salt

1 tablespoon olive oil

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1 8-ounce block part-skim mozzarella (half grated, half cubed)

1 12-ounce box fiber-and-calcium-enriched penne

1 10-ounce block frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Equipment:

baking pan

oven

pot

food processor

bowl

Cooking instruction summary:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mist a 2 to 2 1/2-quart rectangular or oval baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook according to package directions for al dente. While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a medium pot set over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and garlic and cook until aromatic, about 2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, basil sprig, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, lowering the heat if the sauce bubbles too vigorously, until the sauce has thickened slightly, the flavors have blended together and the raw tomato taste has cooked out, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, discard the basil and season with additional salt and pepper. Pour over the cooked pasta and toss well to coat. Add the cubed mozzarella and transfer half the pasta to the prepared baking dish. Put the cottage cheese in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Add the shredded mozzarella and Parmesan and pulse two to three times. Combine half the cottage cheese mixture with the spinach and mix to break up the spinach. Drop in spoonfuls over the pasta in the baking dish. Top the spinach layer with the rest of the pasta and then the remaining cottage cheese mixture. Bake until bubbly and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes, and then scatter the torn basil over the top.

 

Step by step:


1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Mist a 2 to 2 1/2-quart rectangular or oval baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

3. Add the penne and cook according to package directions for al dente.

4. While the pasta cooks, heat the oil in a medium pot set over medium heat.

5. Add the fennel seeds and garlic and cook until aromatic, about 2 minutes.

6. Add the tomatoes, basil sprig, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Simmer, lowering the heat if the sauce bubbles too vigorously, until the sauce has thickened slightly, the flavors have blended together and the raw tomato taste has cooked out, 10 to 15 minutes.

7. Remove from the heat, discard the basil and season with additional salt and pepper.

8. Pour over the cooked pasta and toss well to coat.

9. Add the cubed mozzarella and transfer half the pasta to the prepared baking dish.

10. Put the cottage cheese in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth.

11. Add the shredded mozzarella and Parmesan and pulse two to three times.

12. Combine half the cottage cheese mixture with the spinach and mix to break up the spinach. Drop in spoonfuls over the pasta in the baking dish. Top the spinach layer with the rest of the pasta and then the remaining cottage cheese mixture.

13. Bake until bubbly and golden brown on top, about 30 minutes.

14. Let stand for 10 minutes, and then scatter the torn basil over the top.


Nutrition Information:

Quickview
378k Calories
23g Protein
10g Total Fat
48g Carbs
82% Health Score
Limit These
Calories
378k
19%

Fat
10g
17%

  Saturated Fat
4g
30%

Carbohydrates
48g
16%

  Sugar
10g
12%

Cholesterol
29mg
10%

Sodium
790mg
34%

Get Enough Of These
Protein
23g
47%

Vitamin K
182µg
174%

Vitamin C
114mg
139%

Vitamin A
6122IU
122%

Selenium
38µg
55%

Manganese
1mg
50%

Phosphorus
394mg
39%

Calcium
392mg
39%

Folate
133µg
33%

Vitamin B6
0.56mg
28%

Potassium
833mg
24%

Vitamin E
3mg
24%

Vitamin B2
0.4mg
23%

Magnesium
92mg
23%

Fiber
5g
23%

Copper
0.39mg
20%

Iron
3mg
18%

Zinc
2mg
16%

Vitamin B3
3mg
15%

Vitamin B1
0.21mg
14%

Vitamin B5
1mg
11%

Vitamin B12
0.51µg
9%

Vitamin D
0.16µg
1%

covered percent of daily need
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Food Trivia

The largest item on any menu in the world is the roast camel.

Food Joke

John invited his mother over for dinner. During the meal, his mother couldn't help noticing how attractive and shapely the housekeeper was. Over the course of the evening, she started to wonder if there was more between John and the housekeeper than met the eye. Reading his mom's thoughts, John volunteered, "I know what you must be thinking, but I assure you, my relationship with my housekeeper is purely professional." About a week later, the housekeeper came to John and said, "Ever since your mother came to dinner, I've been unable to find the beautiful silver gravy ladle. You don't suppose she took it, do you?" John said, "Well, I doubt it, but I'll write her a letter just to be sure." So he sat down and wrote: "Dear Mother, I'm not saying you 'did' take a gravy ladle from my house, and I'm not saying you 'did not' take a gravy ladle. But the fact remains that one has been missing ever since you were here for dinner." Several days later, John received a letter from his mother which said "Dear Son, I'm not saying that you 'do' sleep with your housekeeper, and I'm not saying that you 'do not' sleep with your housekeeper. But the fact remains that if she were sleeping in her own bed, she would have found the gravy ladle by now. Love, Mom"

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