Baked Pasta with Spinach

Baked pasta with spinach is a comforting and tasty dish. Here is a recipe you can follow:

Ingredients

• 300 g of pasta (penne or rigatoni work well)
• 400 g of fresh or frozen spinach
• 200 ml of béchamel sauce
• 100 g of grated cheese (Parmesan or pecorino)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Nutmeg to taste (optional)
• Breadcrumbs to taste (for the crust)

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2. If you’re using frozen spinach, thaw and squeeze it to remove excess water. If using fresh, wash it thoroughly and sauté in a pan with a drizzle of oil and crushed garlic cloves. Then, squeeze out any remaining water.
3. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta for about 2/3 of the cooking time indicated on the package. It should be very al dente as it will continue to cook in the oven.
4. While the pasta is cooking, prepare the béchamel. You can use ready-made or make it at home by heating milk and melting butter and flour into it, stirring continuously to avoid lumps. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg if you like.
5. Drain the pasta and mix it with the spinach and béchamel in a large bowl.
6. Pour the mixture into an oiled baking dish.
7. Sprinkle the top with grated cheese and breadcrumbs to create a golden and crispy crust.
8. Bake for about 20 minutes or until it has a nice golden crust.
9. Let it rest for a few minutes before serving.

Curiosity

Gratin is a technique that involves sprinkling the surface of a dish with grated cheese, breadcrumbs, or both, and then baking it in the oven until it turns golden and crispy. The term “gratin” is believed to derive from the French “gratter”, meaning “to scrape”, because often food scraps are scraped off the surface of the dish.