July 19: Ricotta Pasta with Spinach

1 pound penne or ziti rigate
   Coarse salt
2 cups ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese or Romano
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
2 10-ounce boxes frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry in a clean kitchen towel
   A generous handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
   Coarse black pepper
20 fresh basil leaves, shredded or torn
   Freshly grated or ground nutmeg

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and salt the water. Cook the pasta al dente, with a bite to it.

Place the ricotta, butter, and Parmesan or Romano in a large bowl.

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. add the EVOO and the onions and garlic and cook until soft, about 8 minutes. Separate the dry, defrosted chopped spinach, add to the garlic and onions, and heat through. Add the wine and loosen up the spinach. Cook off the wine, 1 minute, then turn off the heat and add the parsley.

Drain the pasta. Add to the bowl with the cheeses. Toss to melt the butter and evenly coat the pasta with the cheeses. then season with salt and pepper. Add the spinach and basil. Season the mixture with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

6 SERVINGS

This is the last variation on the Ricotta pasta. I'm glad it's over; it just gets a little tiring. This version was pretty good. I have a feeling you're not supposed to put the parsley and basil in, but the recipe didn't say to omit them, so I didn't. My girls like the pasta, but they didn't like the "green part." I found out today I'm having a boy. We are excited about that, and we'll see how he differs from the girls when it comes to tastes and things like that :)

I only changed the Parmigiano-Reggiano to Parmesan and I changed the serving size from 4 to 6 servings. We have LOTS of leftovers.