Description
Baked Ricotta Pesto Pasta is that perfect combination of bright and fresh basil pesto with creamy lemon and herb ricotta, baked with melty mozzarella cheese until bubbly and delicious. With fresh cherry tomatoes and baby spinach, this pasta bake is packed with flavor.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Pesto
- 2 cups (about 2 oz.) lightly packed basil, leaves and tender stems
- 1/2 cup (about 3/4 oz.) grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 cup slivered almonds or pine nuts
- 2 garlic cloves
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 1/4 tsp. table salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
- 3/4 cup olive oil *see note
Ricotta
- 1 cup ricotta cheese (part-skim or whole milk)
- 1/4 cup (about 1/3 oz.) grated parmesan cheese
- 1 Tbsp. lemon juice plus zest from 1 lemon
- 1 1/2 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, roughly chopped
- 1 pinch table salt
- 1 pinch black pepper
Pasta
- 5 oz. baby spinach *see note
- 1 lb. pasta, such as lumache, penne, rigatoni
- 1 1/4 cups pesto (recipe included)
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 1/2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Instructions
Pesto
- To make the pesto, wash and dry the basil then place in the stand of a food processor or blender. Add the parmesan cheese, almonds or pine nuts, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper and pulse until well chopped. While the machine is still running, slowly drizzle in the oil and blend until smooth. Store pesto in an airtight container for up 3-4 days in the refrigerator. This recipe makes 1 1/4 cup pesto. You can also use an 8 ounce jar of pesto but you may need to add a bit more oil or water to yield 1 1/4 cup.
Ricotta
- To make the ricotta mixture, add the ricotta cheese to a medium bowl along with parmesan cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest, fresh thyme, salt and pepper and stir until well combined and smooth. Set aside or cover and refrigerate up to 3-4 days.
Pasta
- When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350F and generously spray a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil.
- If your pot has a steamer insert, add the baby spinach to the insert and boil for 2 minutes, just until wilted. Remove from the water and cool slightly then squeeze out as much water as possible. Set aside. You can also microwave the spinach in a medium microwave-safe bowl with 1/4 cup of water. Cover with a plate and microwave on high 30-60 seconds. Carefully remove, cool slightly, then squeeze out the water.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions, being sure to cook until just barely al dente. Drain and cool slightly.
- Add the pasta to the prepared baking dish and spoon on pesto. Gently stir to combine. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and spinach in an even layer on top and press some of the vegetables into the pasta. Add dollops of the ricotta mixture on top of the pasta and vegetables then sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese. Bake right away or cover and refrigerate up to 24 hours (if chilling first, place on the counter while the oven preheats).
- Bake the pasta, uncovered, until the edges are bubbly and the cheese is melted and the top is slightly browned, 30-35 minutes. If you like a moister baked pasta, cover with foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, then remove the foil and bake until golden brown on top, another 5-10 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes before serving. Serve 6-8.
Notes
- This recipe makes enough pesto for this recipe. If you use store-bought, try to find refrigerated pesto as it will have the best flavor and color. If needed, add a bit more oil or water to store-bought pesto to yield 1 1/4 cups.
- If you want to use less oil in the pesto, start with 1/2 cup olive oil then add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water. It should be plenty rich enough.
- Pine nuts may be traditional in basil pesto, but they are expensive. Slivered almonds work well, too, along with pecans or walnuts.
- If you want a vibrant color pesto, try blanching the basil in boiling water for 30-60 seconds than shocking in ice water. Squeeze dry before making pesto.
- Feel free to double the amount of baby spinach for this recipe if you want a lot of vegetables in your baked pasta.
- You can use frozen spinach, just be sure to thaw it and squeeze it dry. There’s no need to cook the frozen spinach further.
- You can make this recipe ahead of time. The sauces may be made up to 3-4 days ahead. You can also assemble the casserole and store in the refrigerator covered for up to 24 hours.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days.
- For food safety purposes, be sure to remove leftovers from the baking dish if it’s still hot as the pasta will take a long time to cool.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Pasta
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American/Italian