Cheesy Baked Rigatoni with Spinach and Roasted Mushrooms

 

This is the perfect recipe for Meatless Monday for a variety of reasons. It comes together in 40 minutes or less, is company worthy, and works equally well as a starter, side dish, or main. It’s also rich and delicious. The fact that you are adding a serving of vegetables with this is another benefit. Roasting the mushrooms gives them the most incredibly woodsy taste. This is a winner.

Cheesy Baked Rigatoni with Spinach and Roasted Mushrooms

  To roast mushrooms:

 1½ lbs. baby Bella mushrooms, quartered

1 t. kosher salt

1 t. freshly ground black pepper

1 t. dried thyme

¼ c. olive oil

 To make pasta:

 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry*

1 lb. rigatoni

¾ lb. ricotta

½ lb. shredded Fontina cheese

¾ c. heavy cream

1 T. Melissa’s minced garlic

½ c. grated Parmesan, divided

¼ t. freshly ground nutmeg

¼ c. pasta water

Freshly ground black pepper

 Preheat your oven to 450°F. Spray a 1-1/2-quart baking dish with PAM; set aside.

 Place mushrooms, olive oil, thyme, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl; toss to coat. Transfer mushrooms to a baking sheet, spreading into a single layer. Place on the lower rack of the oven, and roast for 15-20 minutes until nicely browned.

 While the mushrooms are roasting, prepare pasta “al dente,” according to package directions; drain, reserving some pasta water. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F.

 In a large mixing bowl place spinach, nutmeg, heavy cream, ricotta, Fontina, ¼ c. Parmesan, garlic, roasted mushrooms, and reserved pasta water. Add pasta, toss to coat, and season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Transfer the mixture to prepared baking dish, and then sprinkle the remaining half of the Parmesan over the top. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional five minutes until the cheese is golden and the edges are bubbly. Let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

 *Or 9 oz. as it has become, don’t get me started!

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