I don’t by magazines often. Even more rarely do I cook from them. But, this dish looked so good that not only did the magazine come home, but this dish found its way to our table not long after.

This dish is alot like my recipe for Kushari in that it dirties a whole lot of dishes. However, unlike Kushari (which is fully vegan) this dish is not fit for everyday fare. It is a bit higher fat than much of our usual fare, but when you can get the ricotta cheese on sale it makes a nice treat. It has a light crisp taste and can be a nice change of pace on a warm spring or summer day.

10 generous servings
This makes enough to fill 2 half-size aluminum catering trays. Each one is a meal for my family of 5. With sufficient sides it could easily be stretched to feed a couple of guests as well.

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons oil, divided
2 lbs pasta – shell style

3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium-large onion, chopped
1 10 oz bag raw spinach, finely chopped
6 sun-dried tomatoes (rehydrated)
1 32oz. container ricotta cheese
2 cups skim milk
zest of 2 lemons (approx. 3 tablespoons)

salt & pepper to taste

water, as needed

Directions:

Cook pasta in boiling water until al dente. Toss with 2 tablespoons of the oil to curtail sticking and set aside.

In a large bowl mix ricotta, lemon zest, sun-dried tomatoes, and milk. Season with salt & pepper and mix well until a smooth and even consistency. Set aside.

Meanwhile, in a heavy pan saute onions until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for another minute or two until garlic begins to soften. Add spinach by handfuls, salting a bit as you go, until spinach begins to cook down.

Mix spinach mixture into ricotta cheese mixture and mix well to blend. Fold into pasta, cover with tin foil, and bake at 350 degrees for about an hour.

Serving:

Delicious, creamy and very satisfying. Serve with a nice tossed salad to complete the meal and a nice glass of wine for the adults.

Variations:

1. you can use 2-3 cups of shredded zucchini and carrots if you like in place of the spinach
2. you can trim the fat by replacing the full fat ricotta with part-skim or even fat free
3. feel free to replace the pasta with a whole wheat variety to increase the fiber content

Nutritional Information:

Calories 575.3
Total Fat 19.5 g
Saturated Fat 8.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.9 g
Monounsaturated Fat 7.4 g
Cholesterol 49.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate 77.8 g
Dietary Fiber 4.6 g
Sugars 6.4 g
Protein 25.2 g

_{estimate via Recipe calculator via Sparkpeople.com}

I am looking forward to having this dish again. Of course, with our goal of getting fit and losing weight, it will have to be trimmed back a bit to be “diet friendly.” Stay tuned for the new and improved version in the weeks ahead.

Enjoy!

Jia

This recipe was shared at Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar And Gluten Free, Tasty Tuesdays at 33 Shades Of Green, Tuesday Night Supper Club at Fudge Ripple, and Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty And Bedlam

Adapted from a recipe found in the 03/26/10 issue of: All You Magazine

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Image: Simon Howden / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

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