Pasta Christie DeHaan Pasta Christie DeHaan

Baked Spinach and Ricotta Rotolo

This was a fun dish to make and I made it before I really learned to cook. It seemed a little complicated then but I’ll try it again soon and see how I feel. The creamy-ness of ricotta combined with tomato never gets old.

Serving Size: 6 servings
Baked Spinach and Ricotta Rotolo

Baked Spinach and Ricotta Rotolo

Fun.
Prep time: 30 MinCook time: 35 MinTotal time: 1 H & 5 M

Ingredients

For the Pasta
  • 8 fresh lasagna sheets
  • 1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving
For the Filling
  • 8 ounces frozen spinach, pre-chopped
  • 1 pound Ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg
  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon fresh nutmeg, grated
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Black pepper, to taste
For the Tomato Sauce
  • 24 ounces passata (pureed tomatoes)
  • 1 brown onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • Handful of basil leaves (optional)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Black pepper, to taste

Instructions

For the Tomato Sauce
  1. Heat oil in a 9" ovenproof pan over medium high heat.
  2. Add garlic and sauté for 10 seconds, then add onion.
  3. Cook onion until translucent and starting to turn golden, then add the remaining Tomato Sauce ingredients.
  4. Simmer for 2 minutes to bring the flavors together, then remove from heat.
  5. Scoop out 1 cup of the Tomato Sauce which will be used to drizzle over the dish at the end.
For the Filling
  1. Defrost the spinach in the microwave on high for 2 minutes.
  2. Squeeze the excess water out of the spinach using your hands, then place in a large bowl.
  3. Add remaining Filling ingredients and mix well to combine. I find it easiest (fastest) to do this with my hands.
For the Assembly & Cooking
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. As per the photo, lay out the lasagna sheet with the shorter end in front of you. The reason is that you want to roll these up so they are fatter than cannelloni.
  3. Place 1/3 cup (packed) of filling onto the lasagna sheet. Dab some water on the end furthest away from you (to seal the roll), then roll up starting from the end closest to you. Finish with the seal down.
  4. Continue with remaining lasagna sheets.
  5. Cut rolls into 3 (so each piece is 1.5" wide).
  6. Place the rolls into the Tomato Sauce with the filling facing up.
  7. Drizzle the reserved Tomato Sauce over the Rotolo, then bake for 20 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven and scatter the mozzarella over. Return to oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
  9. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • Don't worry if your lasagna sheets are not exactly the same size, so long as they are the right size for rolling up (or cute to size) you can use any size you want.
  • Passata is pureed tomato, thinner than tomato paste and smoother than crushed tomatoes.  You can substitute with crushed tomatoes but you will need to and about 1/3 cup of water when simmering the sauce otherwise it will dry out too much when baking.
  • You can substitute the frozen with fresh spinach if you want.  You will need 7 ounces of fresh spinach.  Add it raw to the filling mixture, but before doing so you will need to squeeze it (a handful at a time) to get the excess liquid out, otherwise your filling will be watery.
  • Tomato passata is just pureed canned tomatoes.  Nowadays it is readily available in supermarkets, usually alongside pasta sauces.  It costs just a tiny bit more, sometimes the same, as canned tomatoes.  If you can't find it, puree canned tomatoes or use crushed canned tomatoes.
  • To make ahead, this is best frozen before baking.  Assemble the dish but do not put the cheese on (because if you bake it the whole time with the cheese, the cheese will burn), freeze in an airtight container, then defrost completely before baking (follow the recipe instructions).  You will probably need to add 5 minutes to the baking time.
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Frankie’s Spuntino Tomato Sauce

I always thought tomato/spaghetti sauce was complicated. Well, it isn’t. It takes a long freaking time to make, but it honestly couldn’t be easier. Or cheaper. The hardest part is pronouncing it. This sauce is from Frankie’s in New York and it is the real deal.

Serving Size: 8-10 servings
Chef:
Frankie's Spuntino Tomato Sauce

Frankie's Spuntino Tomato Sauce

It's unbelievable easy to make your own amazing pasta sauce.
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 4 H & 15 MTotal time: 4 H & 30 M

Ingredients

  • 1 cup olive oil
  • 13 whole garlic cloves, peeled
  • 1 96-ounce can or four 28-ounce cans of Italian tomatoes
  • 1 large pinch of red pepper flakes
  • 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, plus more to taste

Instructions

  1. Combine the olive oil and garlic in a large, deep saucepan and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring or swirling occasionally, until the garlic is deeply colored- striations of deep brown running through golden cloves- and fragrant. If the garlic starts to smell acrid or sharp or is taking on color quickly, pull the pan off the stove and reduce the heat.
  2. While the garlic is getting golden, deal with the tomatoes: Pour them into a bowl and crush them with your hands, pulling off hard stems and any oregano leaves.
  3. When the garlic is just about done, add the red pepper flakes to the oil and cook them for 30-60 seconds to infuse their flavor and spice into the oil. Dump in the tomatoes, add the salt, and stir well. Turn the heat up to the medium, get the sauce simmering at a gentle pace, not aggressively, and simmer for 4 hours. Stir it from time to time. Mother it a little bit.
  4. Check the sauce for salt at the end. The sauce can be cooked with meat at this point, or stored, covered, in the fridge for at least 4 days or frozen for up to a few months.
  5. Serve with Frankies Spuntino Meatballs.

Notes

Do not put oil in water when boiling pasta, instead, heavily salt the water, so that the pasta is infused with salt as it absorbs water.

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Pan-Fried Gnocchi with Lemon, Mascarpone & Spinach

The hardest part of this recipe is pronouncing ‘Mascarpone’ because it’s spelled wrong. It should be MaRscapone (like how Cotija cheese should be Cojita). So yeah, that’s what I call it. Regardless, this is a really nice, refreshing pasta that’s different from the traditional tomato-y dishes. Thanks, Martha!

Serving Size: 4 servings
Chef:
Pan-Fried Gnocchi with Lemon, Mascarpone & Spinach

Pan-Fried Gnocchi with Lemon, Mascarpone & Spinach

Love the lemon in this dish!
Prep time: 15 MinCook time: 15 MinTotal time: 30 Min

Ingredients

  • 1 lemon
  • 2 large garlic cloves, grated
  • 6 ounces mascarpone cheese
  • 1 1/2 ounces Parmesan, finely grated
  • 2 pkgs gnocchi
  • 5 ounces baby spinach
  • Olive oil
  • Kosher salt & pepper

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl, grate 1 tsp lemon zest and squeeze 2 tsp lemon juice. Add 1 tsp grated garlic. Whisk in mascarpone, 1/2 cup water, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and several grinds of pepper.
  2. Heat 3 T oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Gently break apart any gnocchi that are stuck together, carefully add half of them to skillet in one layer. Cook, without stirring, until very well browned and crisp on the underside, 4-5 minutes. Transfer gnocchi to a plate, add 3 T oil to skillet, and repeat with remaining gnocchi.
  3. Once both batches are browned, return all of the gnocchi to the skillet. Add spinach in 2 or 3 large handfuls, stirring after each addition, and cook until spinach is just wilted, 1-2 minutes.
  4. Reduce heat to low and stir in mascarpone sauce, coating all of the gnocchi. Add half of the Parmesan in large pinches to avoid clumping. Stir in 1 or 2 T of water if sauce seems too thick. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  5. Serve gnocchi in bowls topped with remaining Parmesan.

Notes

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