Cheesy Spinach Baked Penne Recipes

BAKED PENNE WITH SPINACH, RICOTTA & FONTINA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Lightly oil a 9 x 13-inch ceramic baking dish.
• Cook the penne in boiling salted water until al dente, about 9 minutes. (It will cook more in the oven so you don't want it completely cooked.) Drain, then place the cooked penne back in the pan and set aside.
• In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the steel blade, combine the spinach, basil, ricotta, cream cheese, half-and-half, 1 cup of the fontina, 3 tablespoons of the Parmigiano Reggiano, garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Process until puréed.
• Add the spinach mixture to the pasta and stir to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining fontina and Parmigiano Reggiano. Bake until the pasta is bubbling and the top is golden in spots, about 20 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes, then serve.

BAKED PENNE WITH THREE CHEESES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Prepare the penne rigate according to the package directions, minus 1 or 2 minutes of cooking time (see Cook's Note). Drain, then pour the pasta into a 9-by-13-inch glass baking pan.
• In a 4-quart saucepan, melt the butter on medium-low heat. Whisk in the flour until it's dissolved. Add the cream to the saucepan. Add the nutmeg, seasoned salt, and black pepper and whisk the mixture until it's warmed through.
• Reduce the heat to low, and add the mozzarella, Cheddar, and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Stir until you have a smooth cheese sauce.
• Pour the sauce over the pasta and top with the breadcrumbs.
• Bake for about 40 minutes, until the top turns a golden brown.

CHEESY SPINACH BAKE

Steps:

• In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients. Transfer to a greased 11x7-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 25-30 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and bubbly.

CHEESY PENNE

Steps:

• Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add pasta, cook until al dente, and drain. Return pasta to the saucepan.
• Whisk milk with Dijon in small bowl and add to the pot with cooked pasta, along with cream and grated Cheddar. Stir over medium-low heat until the cheese melts and the mixture is nice and thick. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper and serve. Happy indulging!

CHEESY PENNE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
• Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a medium saucepot, and saute garlic and onion until the onions become translucent, being careful not to burn them. Add crushed tomatoes, fresh parsley, marjoram and thyme. Create a slurry by gradually whisking cornstarch into 1/2 cup water. Add the slurry to the sauce to thicken and season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer about 20 minutes, checking periodically to make sure the sauce doesn't burn.
• While the sauce is cooking, boil the penne until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain through a colander and set aside.
• Remove the sauce from the heat, and whisk in butter and cream cheese. Add the boiled pasta to the sauce and gently fold in along with the diced tomatoes. Transfer to serving dish and garnish with fresh parsley.

EASY CHEESY SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a 12-inch saute pan over moderate heat. Add the onions and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Whisk in the cream cheese and let melt. Fold in the spinach until evenly combined. Add up to 3 tablespoons water if the mixture seems too dry. Sprinkle the nutmeg on top and season with salt and pepper.
• BYOC: Lemon zest and juice would bring a little bit of sunshine to this dish. Just add with the salt and pepper.

EASY CHEESY SPINACH BAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F. Beat eggs lightly in large bowl. Add all remaining ingredients except the red peppers; mix well.
• Pour into greased 9-inch pie plate.
• Bake 40 minutes or until center is set. Top with peppers.

AWESOME PENNE SPINACH BAKE

Steps:

• Set oven to 350 degrees.
• Grease a 13" x 9" baking pan.
• Cook the pasta only to firm-tender (don't overcook, as the pasta will cook more when baked in the oven) according to package directions (omit the salt in the water); drain, set aside.
• In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the butter over med-high heat.
• Add in the chopped onion (if using) and the garlic; saute for 5 minutes.
• Whisk in the flour, thyme, nutmeg and black pepper; cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
• Gradually whisk in the half and half; cook for 4 minutes, until thick and bubbly.
• Add in the grated Swiss cheese, and the Parmesan cheese; mix well over low heat, until the cheese has melted, and the sauce is hot and bubbly; remove the saucepan from the heat.
• In a large bowl, combine the cream/cheese sauce, 1/2 cup of the remaining Swiss cheese (it is not necessery to add the remaining 1/2 cup cheese, you may omit if desired), chopped tomato, and the spinach; stir well.
• Spoon the mixture into a prepared greased baking pan.
• In a small bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, melted butter and the Parmesan cheese.
• Sprinkle the mixture over the casserole in the baking pan.
• Bake for 30 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.
• Note: this recipes calls for NO salt, as the grated Parmesan cheese produces enough salty taste, but if you do choose to add salt, add just a small amount (to taste with the cream sauce) at a time, otherwise it tends to get too salty.