Spinach Pasta Bake25 Ww Points Recipes

SPINACH & PASTA BAKE(2.5 WW POINTS)

Steps:

• Cook noodles until slightly under done. In a small bowl mix ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese and parsley flakes. In an oven safe dish layer pasta, cheese, spinach and sauce until all ingredients are used. Save a small amount of mozzarella cheese to sprinkle on the top. Layer ingredients 2 to 3 times depending on the size of the dish. Top with mozzarella cheese. Bake at 375º for 35 to 40 minutes.
• Makes 8 one cup servings.
• Per Serving: Calories -- 126 Fat -- 2 g Carbs -- 18 g Sodium -- 291 mg Fiber -- 1.2 g.
• Diabetic Exchange: 1 meat (medium) + 1 carbohydrate.

HOMEMADE SPINACH PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and fill a medium bowl with ice water. Add the spinach to the pot and cook until wilted, about 30 seconds; drain, then plunge into the ice water. Once chilled, remove the spinach to a kitchen towel and squeeze until dry.
• Combine the blanched spinach, whole eggs and egg yolk, olive oil and a big pinch of salt in a blender and blend until smooth. Mound the flour on a work surface. Make a well in the center, 4 to 5 inches in diameter with high walls. Add the spinach mixture to the well and, using a fork, gradually mix flour from the inner edge of the well into the wet ingredients. Continue incorporating the flour until a rough sticky dough forms. Use a spatula or bench scraper to gather up any loose bits of flour and dough, then use your hands to gather and knead the whole thing together. (If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour, 1 tablespoon at a time.) Knead until a smooth and slightly tacky bright green dough forms, about 6 minutes. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
• Cut the dough into 4 equal pieces; press each into a rough rectangle. Cover 3 of the pieces and set aside. Lightly flour the remaining piece of dough and feed the dough through the widest setting on a pasta maker. Fold the strip in half and feed it through again. Move to the next setting and feed the dough through this setting twice without folding, lightly flouring as needed. Repeat until you are at the third-to-last setting. The dough will be thin but not transparent, about 1/8 inch thick. Lightly flour the pasta sheet, then transfer to a floured baking sheet; halve the sheet crosswise if it's hanging off the baking sheet. Repeat the process with the remaining 3 pieces of dough.
• Attach a long noodle cutter to the pasta maker. Feed each sheet of dough through the cutter, gathering the pasta on the other side. Lightly sprinkle with flour and shape into a loose nest. Return to the baking sheet.
• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta, gently separating the strands with tongs. Cook until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve 1 cup cooking water, then drain. Toss with your sauce, adding the reserved cooking water as needed to loosen.

HOMEMADE SPINACH PASTA

Steps:

• Combine water and ice in a bowl. Preheat a skillet over medium heat; add spinach. Cook, stirring continuously, until spinach turns bright green, about 30 seconds. Plunge into ice water bath; remove when spinach is lukewarm. Squeeze out excess moisture with cheese cloth.
• Combine spinach, eggs, olive oil, and salt in a food processor; blend until smooth. Add flour; blend until dough no longer sticks to the blades, adding flour as needed.
• Roll dough into a ball; wrap in plastic wrap. Rest at room temperature for 20 minutes.
• Remove plastic wrap from dough. Transfer to a work surface generously dusted with flour; cut dough into 4 pieces with a sharp knife. Roll out dough with a rolling pin to 1/4-inch thickness; shape into rectangles.
• Dust pasta maker rollers with flour. Run the dough rectangles through a pasta maker on the widest setting. Repeat rolling dough through rollers, gradually reducing the setting to desired thickness. Change pasta maker's attachment to preferred noodle shape; cut pasta with pasta maker.
• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Lower pasta gently into water; use a spoon to keep noodles from sticking together. Cook until pasta is firm but soft, 3 to 6 minutes. Remove from the water with tongs; transfer to a bowl.