Vegetarian Night: Spinach and Cheese Pasta Bake
Prep: 15 minutes Bake ~20 Minutes
I had a request to make some vegetarian food so I pulled out one I’ve done before, but never for this blog. This is a simple pasta dish that is great as a side, or can be easily manipulated into a main dish. Cheesy, spinach and more make a simple but tasty meal. Chris kept eating it, and as picky as he is, that works for me.
Ingredients
8 oz of penne pasta
3 tbls butter
2 tbls butter melted
1 1/2 cup milk
Spinach as desired
1/4 tsp basil
salt to taste
pepper to taste
3 tbls flour
2 cups mozzarella
Some flavored crumb stuffing mix
Preheat oven to 350 F
Start the penne on the stove to get it soft, (boil water, in for at least 12 minutes)
While that is going, add the non melted butter, into a sauce pan on medium heat. When melted add the flour and stir until smooth
Add the milk and heat until it thicken. I hate thickening, cause I’m super bad at it and timing it right. You don’t want it to burn so keep stirring to check if it parts or not like the Dead Sea. Normally it should be around 6 minutes
Add the basil, salt and pepper
Add the spinach and stir til it wilts and mixes in
Drain the pasta and add to the mixture
Stir it all together, coat the penne. Make it all mixed good and well
Add the cheese and mix it while it melts
Add to a greased 8x8 baking pan
Mix the melted butter and bread crumbs and add to the top
Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until browning on top
Afterthoughts
I love this dish. It’s simple and fast and taste great. I changed the bread crumbs to seasoned herbs and it added a whole new crunch and taste profile to this dish. It’s simple and basil is a great taste to base a sauce on. Simple, elegant and just enough to keep you excited. This is a fast easy, cheesy dish that people of all ages should love.
