This dish evolved from the Walnut Lemon Ricotta pasta dish posted yesterday. I thought another dish would be here if I just removed the lemon, added more spinach and cream, and baked. Thus, this dish was born. Enjoy.
Ingredients
1 lb of Bow Tie pasta, or any pasta you choose, cooked as directed on the package; reserve one cup of the pasta water.
1 lb of baby spinach
1 cup of whole milk ricotta
I cup of heavy cream
1 cup of freshly grated romano cheese
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
4 tablespoons of unsalted butter
3 tablespoons of pine nuts, minced - Toast the pine nuts before chopping.
Freshly grated nutmeg to taste
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add butter, swirl the skillet, add shallots, and saute until soft, about two minutes; add garlic, saute for thirty seconds. Add spinach and saute until just wilted. If the skillet is too dry, add some of the pasta water. Add cream, bring to just a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for two minutes. The sauce should start to thicken. Now add the pasta, remove from heat, and toss to coat. Next, add the ricotta and the cheese, toss again, and transfer to a large baking dish. Grate some nutmeg on top, cover with foil, and bake for 20 minutes, remove foil and return for five more minutes. Remove and let rest for five minutes before serving.