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Categories:
Pasta salt spinach extra-virgin olive oil zucchini cremini onion garlic salt red pepper butter flour vegetable milk fresh nutmeg Ricotta cheese fresh basil
Viewed: 31 - Published at: 9 years agoIngredients
- 1 pound curly pasta (recommended: campanelle or cavatappi by Barilla)
- Coarse salt
- 1 10 -ounce box frozen chopped spinach
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium zucchini
- 12 cremini or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 3 cloves garlic, chopped
- Salt and pepper
- 1 roasted red pepper, drained, pat dry, quartered lengthwise then thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 rounded tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 cup vegetable or chicken stock
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 teaspoon grated fresh nutmeg, eyeball it
- 1 1/2 cups part skim ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan, a couple of handfuls, plus some to pass at the table
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves, about 20 leaves
Method
- Heat a pot of water to a boil for pasta.
- Salt boiling water and cook pasta to al dente.
- Heads up: reserve a ladle of the hot cooking water just before you drain pasta.
- Place the frozen spinach on a plate and microwave to defrost it according to your microwave's directions.
- Place defrosted spinach in a clean kitchen towel and wring out the liquid.
- Heat a deep skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil.
- Halve the zucchini lengthwise then thinly slice into half moons and add to the pan along with the mushrooms.
- Cook 2 to 3 minutes then add onions and garlic to the pan.
- Season the vegetables with salt and pepper.
- When the onions are tender, about 5 minutes, add defrosted spinach, separating into small bits as you handle it, and the roasted red peppers and toss to heat through.
- Transfer veggies to a dish and return skillet to stove top.
- Add remaining 1 tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil and the butter.
- When the butter melts into extra-virgin olive oil, add 2 rounded tablespoons of flour and cook a minute or so, then whisk in stock and milk.
- Bring to a bubble and thicken the sauce, reducing it 2 to 3 minutes.
- Season the sauce with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
- Slide vegetables back into sauce.
- Place the part-skim ricotta in a large shallow bowl and combine with a ladle of boiling, starchy pasta cooking water.
- Stir to combine then add in a couple of handfuls of grated cheese.
- Drain pasta and toss with cheeses.
- Add half the vegetables and sauce to pasta and toss to combine.
- Tear or shred basil and toss into pasta.
- Adjust seasonings.
- Top bowlfuls of Vegetable Not-sagna with remaining veggies in sauce and pass extra grated cheese at the table.
