This simple recipe for Spinach Ricotta Pasta is a perfect weeknight dinner! Just a few simple ingredients and it tastes like you made a big pot of unstuffed shells without all that extra stuffing work!
Every night is a good night for pasta!! It is cheap, quick and easy!! This Spinach with Ricotta Pasta is perfect for those crazy busy nights when the last thing you want to worry about is what’s for dinner…..oh wait…that’s every night around here! This is one of our go tos! Just a few ingredients and ready super fast. This Spinach Ricotta Pasta is also really easy to reheat, so if everyone is going a million different direction, they can grab a bowl, reheat and eat!!
Ingredients Needed for Spinach Ricotta Pasta
Simple ingredients sometimes make the best meals!!
- 1 lb Rigatoni Noodles
- 2 cups Ricotta Cheese
- 1 egg
- 1 cup Reserved Pasta Water
- 2 cups Spinach
- 1 cup Mozzarella
- 1/2 cup Parmesan
- 1 jar Spaghetti Sauce (optional)
- Salt and Pepper
Can I Substitute Cottage Cheese for Ricotta Cheese?
For this recipe the answer is a big YES!! I have done this many times when I don’t have Ricotta on hand. We usually have cottage cheese on hand and it works perfectly in this recipe, so go for it!!
How to Make Spinach Ricotta Pasta
Brace yourself for how simple this recipe is!! Just a few easy steps and dinner is done!!
Start by cooking your pasta, get the water boiling and add the noodles. While the noodles are cooking, in a small medium mixing bowl combine the ricotta and egg and stir with a wooden spoon until it is mixed well. Add in the chopped spinach, 3/4 cup of the Mozzarella and salt and pepper. To loosen up the cheese add small amounts of pasta water until it is creamy and stirs easily. Stir in the drained pasta and stir until covered and cheesy.
In a large dutch oven or baking dish, pour in the noodles and cheese. Sprinkle with remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Bake uncovered at 375ºF for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted and heated through.
Serve with warm Spaghetti Sauce if you want, or eat it as is.
Recipe for Spinach Ricotta Pasta
Spinach Ricotta Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 pound Rigatoni
- 2 cups Ricotta Cheese
- 1 Egg
- 2 cups Spinach, chopped
- 1 cup Mozzarella Cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese, shredded
- Salt and Pepper
- Spaghetti Sauce (optional)
- 1 cup Pasta Water
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375ºF
- Prepare rigatoni according to package directions. Cook until al dente, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.
- In a mixing bowl combine Ricotta cheese and egg. Stir to combine the egg and the cheese. Add in the Spinach and season with salt and pepper.
- Fold prepared noodles into the cheese mixture adding pasta water as needed to loosen up the cheese. Add in 3/4 cup of the Mozzarella cheese.
- In a large dutch oven or 9 x 13 inch baking dish pour out the pasta and cheese mixture. Cover with the remaining Mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses.
- Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly and entire dish is warm. Serve with warm Spaghetti Sauce or eat as is.
Video
Nutrition
I was afraid this might be a little on the bland side, so I added two large cloves of garlic and a squeeze of some fresh lemon. In the future I would probably add another clove of garlic, some lemon zest, and a few red pepper flakes to kick it up some. One cup of pasta water left it a little on the dry side, too, but I suspected that and should have compensated.
Overall this is a solid base recipe that can be tweaked based on tastes. Will definitely be making this again!
Going to try this tonight if I am adding sauce do I cook it with it or add after
I would just have the sauce warmed up and on the side.
Quick, easy, simple & so good !
Since I read below another comment about how it was kind of dry with only using 1 cup of water from noodles I used 1 1/2 cup of water & added generous minced garlic!
It came out really good, just a bit bland. Next time I make it I will definitely be adding more salt, red pepper flakes, more pepper or pepper corn and maybe some Italian seasoning or garlic salt.
How do I reheat it?
I usually just heat it up in the microwave, place a serving into a bowl and heat for 1 minute, stir and heat an additional 30 seconds until heated through. If you have a lot to reheat, you can place the pot into a 350F oven, cover the pot with foil and cook for 15-20 minutes.