Spinach is probably one of the vegetables we eat the most often (okay, also mushrooms and broccoli and zucchini, but today we’re eating spinach) - it’s definitely the leafy green we eat the most.
Spinach in our green juice, spinach salads, creamed spinach, spinach quiche, spinach in our enchiladas, the list goes on and on, spinach finds its way into quite a lot in our house. So, this recipe is an easy favorite. The flavors in my Ricotta & Spinach Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes are reminiscent of lasagna - this is essentially a quick, grain free, deconstructed version of lasagna, perfect for summer when you don’t want to spend much time in a warm kitchen. Here I use baby spinach because it comes triple washed, but the full-grown variety works just the same though you’ll want to remove the thicker stems and frozen chopped spinach works great too, just make sure its fully thawed and squeeze out as much moisture as you can. Hearts of palm linguine, made milder in flavor by a milk bath, is a great alternative to traditional pasta for its texture and ease of use (though you can certainly opt for traditional linguine). It's also fat free and incredibly low in calories and carbohydrates, making it the perfect complement for a richer, creamy sauce based on whole milk ricotta, whole milk, and parmesan.
Ricotta & Spinach Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes
Ingredients
For the pasta
2 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons avocado oil
10 oz spinach, roughly chopped
2 shallots, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
½ cup whole milk
½ cup grated parmesan cheese, divided (add ¼ cup at end of cook)
¾ teaspoons coarse kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 – 12oz packages of hearts of palm linguine (Whole Foods and Palmini both make good options); alternatively, 8 oz traditional linguine, cooked
For the roasted tomatoes
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2 teaspoons avocado oil
¼ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
How to make Ricotta & Spinach Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes
Preheat oven to 450.
Drain hearts of palm linguine, rinse well with cold water, and drain again. Soak hearts of palm linguine in a bowl of milk for 30 minutes for a milder flavor, drain and rinse off milk.
In a small bowl toss together halved cherry tomatoes, 2 teaspoons oil, ¼ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, and ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. Line a baking sheet with parchment or aluminum foil and arrange tomatoes cut side up across the baking sheet. Roast tomatoes for 25 minutes, until starting to caramelize.
Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat. Add chopped spinach, a few handfuls at a time, tossing constantly until all the spinach is wilted. Remove spinach from pan to drain and cool. Once cool, wrap in a clean kitchen towel or several layers of paper towel and squeeze out as much moisture as possible.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in the large sauté pan over medium-low heat, add shallots and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté until very fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in ricotta and milk until smooth, whisk in ¼ cup grated parmesan, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper. Continue cooking over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until sauce thickens, about 3 minutes. Stir in spinach until mixed evenly throughout the sauce. Add hearts of palm pasta (or cooked traditional linguine), increase heat to medium-high, and cook for 5 minutes until pasta is heated through and cooked, stirring constantly as the hearts of palm will release water as they cook, you don’t want your sauce to break. (If using traditional pasta, you may need to add up to a ¼ cup of the pasta water to thin out the sauce to better coat the pasta). Serve pasta topped with the roasted cherry tomatoes.