Rotini with Spinach & Ricotta

So Simple, So Good.

Put the pasta water up to boil.

Chop an onion and start it sweating in a tad of olive oil.

Wash and chop a bunch of spinach.

Drop the pasta in the pot.

Throw the spinach in with the onions and cook until it wilts.

Remove the pasta from its pot to the pan with the spinach and onions, using a slotted spoon.

Stir in 1/2 - 1 cup ricotta cheese (use the purest you can find - read the ingredients - there should be only milk, vinegar, and salt).

Add a little pasta water to thin if you like.

Salt & Pepper to taste.

Top with a dollop of ricotta and little grated Parmesan if you like.

 

Ricotta Torta with Beet Greens and Spinach

Made the Torta from a modified Weight Watcher's Recipe

Ingredients:

1/4 cup plain bread crumbs

2 tsp olive oil

2 small red onions, chopped

1 bunch of beet greens, chopped

1 small bunch spinach, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 16 oz container part-skim ricotta cheese (I buy Sorrento because it has no additives or thickeners)

1 egg, lightly beaten

salt & freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees F

Spray a 9" springform pan with olive oil cooking spray and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of breadcrumbs

heat the oil in a large skillet, cook onions, stirring about 5 min until softened

stir in greens and garlic and cook until greens are wilted

while greens are cooking, combine ricotta, egg, salt pepper, and remaining breadcrumbs in a bowl, stir in the onion/greens mixture, then spoon into the prepared pan

bake until puffed and golden - about 45 minutes

It will puff up, then sink as it cools.

Served this with a Corn Salad from an Ina Garten recipe

 http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/fresh-corn-salad-recipe/index.html

 I used purple and green basil.

Spinach & Ricotta Pizza

Another use for the spinach in one of our first few CSA boxes of the year. Bought the whole dough to make the crust at Trader Joe's.

Washed and chopped the spinach...

Diced a few sun dried tomatoes...

Grated some Parmesean...

Sauteed an onion in a little olive oil, then added the spinach and cooked it just till it wilted and was still bright green

Threw some dollops of Ricotta cheese on the crust, sprinkled on the tomatoes and a few chopped Calamat olives, then the spinach and onion mix, then the Parmesean. Baked it at 450 for 5-6 minutes.