Craving pasta? How about heavenly filled mussel pasta with spinach and ricotta in a fruity tomato sauce from the oven?
Pasta with tomato sauce is one of the true classics in the “quick cuisine” category. But no matter how delicious the quick recipe tastes, it can get pretty boring in the long run. Filled shell pasta with spinach and ricotta offers a welcome change.
Light pasta dishes in spring
After hearty pasta bakes and creamy sauces, the mild spring now calls for more subtle pasta creations. Lots of fresh vegetables, optionally in combination with some white meat or lean fish, ensure a particularly light enjoyment.
In no time you can conjure up a creamy pasta with broccoli and crispy chicken or a meatless spring lasagne with lots of vegetables. And of course the annual asparagus season should not be forgotten either. How about, for example, a light asparagus pasta in a lemon-Parmesan sauce or a quick one
Gnocchi pan with green asparagus in a creamy sauce?
Discover numerous recipes in the Merkur.de PDF library
Ingredients for mussel pasta with spinach and ricotta
For about two servings of filled pasta you will need:
For the pasta
200 g mussel pasta
250g ricotta
150 g fresh spinach
2 tbsp parmesan
2 tsp olive oil
salt and pepper
For the tomato sauce
800 g canned tomatoes (chopped)
1 onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
salt and pepper
Optional dried Italian herbs (such as oregano and basil)
Don't want to miss any recipes and kitchen tricks? Click here for the enjoyment newsletter from our partner Merkur.de.
This is how quickly you can prepare the delicious filled pasta:
For the tomato sauce, peel and finely chop the garlic and onion. Heat some olive oil in a large pot and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent. Then deglaze with the canned tomatoes and season with a little sugar, salt, pepper and dried herbs. After the sauce has simmered on a low level for about 15 to 20 minutes, it is now pureed finely with a hand blender.
The mussel pasta is cooked al dente in salted water according to the package instructions and then drained in a sieve. While the cooked pasta is draining, the filling can be prepared. To do this, first wash and dry the fresh spinach. Cut the leafy greens into rough but bite-sized pieces.
While the oven is preheating to 180 degrees, steam the spinach with a little olive oil in a large pan until it loses volume. Mix the spinach with the ricotta, grated Parmesan and some salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Pour the tomato sauce into a large baking dish. Now fill the pre-cooked mussel pasta with the spinach and ricotta filling. A piping bag is particularly suitable for this. Alternatively, you can simply work with two teaspoons. Place the filled pasta in the tomato sauce and bake on the middle shelf for around 20 minutes in the preheated oven until golden.
Serve optionally with some grated Parmesan and fresh basil. Bon appetit!
Tip
: If you can't find a piping bag in your baking drawer, you can simply fill a regular freezer bag with the spinach and ricotta cream. Hold the bag at an angle to create a cone shape and then cut off a small corner to squeeze the filling out of there.