Day 41: Not-So Lazy Rigatoni (Meatless Monday Meals)

So far, Meatless Mondays have been a huge hit around here. And I think I've discovered the secret (especially if your SO is a carnivore): Pasta. And cheese. And veggies. 

But mostly pasta & cheese.

Baked Spinach Rigatoni

This one was more labor intensive than initially supposed, but I knew it would be. And it is so, SO worth it.

Ingredient Roundup:
*Spinach
*Rigatoni pasta
*Ricotta cheese
*Mushrooms
*Italian blend cheese (Mozz and Parm)

You're gonna need a food processor for this. Just a heads up. Thankfully, I've had one for a while that is apparently going to get more use after this.

First, you're going to want to get a pot of water on to boil the pasta. Whole grain pasta, if you're lucky enough to find it will make you feel less guilty overall about the dish.

Meanwhile, you're going to want to thaw and squeeze your spinach (if you're using frozen, as I did). Trust me. It's easier than using fresh.

Those little squeezed balls of spinachy goodness go into as-yet-unnamed the food processor. Perhaps I shall call it Patrick.

And you will add TO that spinach, the ricotta cheese and about half of the Italian blend cheese. Also? Salt & Pepper, although I tend to season after something like this has been whirred around.

Pulse it (with the lid on!) until it's all mixed and creamy looking.

Seriously. This stuff would be amazing as a simple ravioli filling.

Dump it out into a bowl.

I decided there was a distinct need for moar veggies in the dish, so I went with the standby staple 'round these parts: Mushrooms. Our fave gourmet blend.

As I didn't want to spend forever chopping these down into tiny bits, I just put them into Patrick and let him do all the work.

Voila! Insta-chopped 'shrooms, no effort required. Seriously a time saver. -->

It was about then that I fell in love with my FP all over again.

It all goes together in a bowl, to which you add the fresh cooked hot pasta when it is done.

Mix the whole shebang up and pour into a casserole dish.

Top it with the remaining IB cheese you've got sitting there and let it cook for about 15 minutes or so, at 450 degrees in the oven.

Really, that's all there is to it. It's a deceptively easy looking recipe. The hard work is in all the prep.

When it's done, the cheese should be all golden brown and crispy; the pasta, bubbly.

Scoop it into a bowl and devour. Because really, it's divine!

Enjoy!

~Snarkstress