Three Cheese Pasta With Greens Recipes

MANICOTTI (THREE CHEESE, NO-BOIL PASTA RECIPE)

Steps:

• Place the steamed escarole, endive or spinach into a large bowl, then add the ricotta.
• Add the eggs, grated Parmesan or Pecorino, salt, and pepper and mix well.
• Next, toss in the shredded mozzarella. Mix well.
• You'll already have the tomato sauce from my linked recipe, but here's the trick to not boiling the pasta, adding water to the sauce. I say to use boiling water because I don't want you using hot water from the tap; it needs to be very hot. Put half of the sauce in a bowl (if it's about 1 cup of sauce, add just under 1 cup of very hot/almost boiling water. You can make this watery sauce as you need it so you don't end up watering down too much of the sauce.
• Spread a generous amount of the watery sauce in the bottom of the pan, then start filling the tubes with the filling. As I said above, you can choose to use a piping bag without a tip, but it's really easy to use a small spoon, too. Use both ends to fill the manicotti shells as it's quicker than trying to push the filling all the way to the opposite end.
• Once full, place in the pan. Be sure to place them generously spaced apart as they will grow and spread.
• Once all the manicotti are filled (you may need another small tray if all of the manicotti don't fit (don't attempt to squeeze them in). I put 4 in a separate little dish. Make sure to cover all of the manicotti.
• Add enough watery sauce so that it comes about halfway up the pasta shells. We need this much liquid since the pasta hasn't been boiled (and absorbed the water when cooking). Let the shells rest for about half an hour before baking.
• Cover and bake for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the pasta is ready. You can remove the cover for the last 5 minutes if you like.
• Before serving, add some heated pasta sauce (the original batch, not watered down) to the manicotti. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano cheese and add a sprig of parsley for color, and enjoy!

THREE-CHEESE PASTA WITH GREENS

Steps:

• Place carrots in a large pot with lightly salted water to cover. Bring to a boil and cook carrots until fork-tender, 7 to 10 minutes. Drain.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and mix well. Add heavy cream and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook and stir until a thick roux forms, about 10 minutes.
• Mix fontina cheese and goat cheese into the roux. Cook until cheeses are completely melted and sauce is thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Drain carrots and bring water back to a boil, pouring in more as needed. Cook spaghetti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes.
• Cook garlic with olive oil in another saucepan over medium heat until starting to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Add Swiss chard, tearing them as they go into the pan. Cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Add baby arugula and cook until wilted, about 1 minute. Chop 1 basil leaf into the pan using herb shears. Cook until wilted, about 30 seconds more. Mix in some of the cheese sauce if desired.
• Drain pasta and divide over serving plates. Add carrots, chard, and arugula. Top with Parmesan cheese and more cheese sauce. Garnish each plate with a basil leaf.

RIGATONI WITH GREENS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until just short of al dente, 8 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 1/4 cups of the pasta water.
• Meanwhile, heat 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chickpeas and cook, stirring often with a wooden spoon, until golden brown and crispy, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, chile flakes and capers and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Stir in the Swiss chard and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook until wilted, 3 minutes. Add 1/4 cup of the reserved pasta water and simmer for 1 minute. Add the drained pasta and sprinkle with 1 1/2 cups of the Parmesan and the lemon zest; toss well to coat. Add 1 cup more of the reserved pasta water and the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Simmer until the pasta is al dente, the sauce has thickened and the flavors have come together, 2 minutes. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan and serve.

PASTA WITH FETA AND GREEN OLIVES

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook at a gentle boil until al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package instructions.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan or skillet, heat the oil over medium-high until shimmering. Add the olives, cooking until they start to blister in spots, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, then add in the garlic, lemon zest and red-pepper flakes, stirring constantly for about 30 seconds, then let sit uncovered until the pasta is finished.
• Reserve 1 cup pasta water, drain the pasta, then return it to the pot over medium-low heat. Pour in the olive mixture, the lemon juice and ¾ cup pasta water, and stir well for 1 to 2 minutes until the noodles are coated in a smooth, glossy sauce, adding more water if needed. Turn off the heat, stir in the feta and let it soften and melt slightly. Finish with a grind or two of black pepper and a sprinkle of red-pepper flakes, if desired. Season to taste with salt, and serve immediately.

THREE CHEESE PASTA

Steps:

• Cook noodles according to directions on box.
• Drain.
• In a casserole dish, toss pasta with butter, then add cheeses.
• Stir in cream.
• Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

PASTA WITH GARLICKY GREENS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a frying pan. Add the leeks and garlic and let them soften for 15 mins. Stir in the spinach or kale for final few mins to wilt. Add the crème fraîche, stir and remove from the heat.
• Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling water. Drain the pasta, put it back in its saucepan, then stir the leek sauce into it. Serve in bowls with crumbled blue cheese on top.

MEDITERRANEAN PASTA WITH GREENS

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Stir in pasta, cook for 10 to 12 minutes, until al dente, and drain.
• Place chard in a microwave safe bowl. Fill bowl about 1/2 full with water. Cook on High in the microwave 5 minutes, until limp; drain.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, green olives, and garlic. Mix in the chard. Cook and stir until tender. Toss with pasta and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese to serve.

BAKED SPANAKOPITA PASTA WITH GREENS AND FETA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat the oven to 450 degrees.
• In a 3-quart/9-by-13-inch baking dish, toss the chopped spinach, arugula, herbs and scallion greens with 2 teaspoons salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Squeeze the mixture with your hands to wilt, then set aside.
• Cook the pasta in the boiling water until 2 minutes shy of al dente; reserve 1 cup pasta water, then drain pasta and set aside. Return the pot to the stove.
• Melt the butter in the pot over medium heat. Add the scallion whites, garlic and a pinch of salt, and sauté until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the cream cheese and pasta water and stir until smooth. Stir in the wilted greens, half the mozzarella and half the feta until combined. Stir in the pasta until combined. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
• Transfer the pasta to the baking dish, then top with remaining mozzarella and feta. Bake until the sauce has thickened and bubbly and the top has browned in spots, 10 to 15 minutes. If you like a crisper top, broil for a few minutes.