1/2 green pepper diced
1 cup chopped spinach
1lb Rigatoni Pasta
26oz of Sauce
10 oz box of frozen chopped spinach thawed
2lbs ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
3 cloves crushed garlic
salt and pepper to your taste
1 tablespoon died basil
2 eggs
1 cup mozzarella (optional)
How2:
Prep:
to a pot of water add salt and bring to a boil.
add pasta cook until Andante not fully cooked because it will continue cooking in the oven.
strain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process and prevent the pasta from sticking.
in a large bowl add the ricotta,black pepper,Parmesan cheese , basil, and eggs mix well and separate the cheese in 1/2 place some back into the container and some leave in the bowl set aside in the refrigerator.
in a separate pan from the pasta on med-high heat add the onions peppers,and spinach and saute until soft.
to work with the spinach u need to thaw and squeeze as much liquid as u can this will remove the bitterness once u have done so lower the heat to med-low add the spinach and the beef saute for about 5 Min's.
To the pan of vegetables and add 2 cups of the tomato sauce and simmer on low for 3 Min's.
How 2 Assemble:
in bowl that contains 1/2 of the ricotta mix the rigatoni,and the vegetable mix together until fully Incorporated.
in a sprayed oven safe pan add 1/2 of the pasta mixture,then take the remaining ricotta mix and layer it on top of pasta. add a bit of sauce. Now add the rest of the pasta to form the second layer top with sauce. cover with 1 layer of plastic wrap ( this keeps moisture in) and Foil bake at 350 DF for 45mins remove the foil and plastic and add mozzarella cheese return to oven for another15 Min's or until cheese is melted. Serve with Garlic Bread.
