Baked Spinach & Mozzarella Rigatoni (Blue Apron)

By LaurenCocch16

Ingredients

• 10 oz rigatoni pasta
• 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, gently broken apart
• 1/2 lb fresh mozzarella pasta, torn into bite sized pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, minced and crushed into a paste
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 3 Tbsp butter
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Olive oil
• Salt & pepper

Details

Servings 4
Preparation time 10mins
Cooking time 35mins

Preparation

Step 1

1. Preheat oven to 425. Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling on high. Add the pasta to the pot of boiling water; cook 8-10 minutes or until just shy of al dente (still slightly firm to the bite). Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water, draining the rest of the pasta. Set aside in warm place.

2. While the pasta cooks, in a large pot, heat 2 tsp olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the spinach; season with salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2-4 minutes or until wilted. Transfer to strainer; using a spoon or ladle, press down on cooked spinach over the sink to release as much of the liquid as possible. Transfer the drained spinach to a cutting board and finely chop. Wipe out the pot.

3. While the pasta continues to cook, in the pot used to cook the spinach, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil on medium-high until hot. Add the minced garlic and onion; season with salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 2-4 minutes, or until slightly softened. Add the tomatoes, season with salt & pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, 14-16 minutes, or until thickened and slightly reduced. Remove from heat; season with salt & pepper to taste.

4. Add the cooked pasta, chopped spinach, butter, & half the reserved pasta cooking water to the pot of sauce. Stir to combine and season with salt & pepper to taste. (If the sauce seems to thick, gradually add the remaining pasta cooking water to achieve desired consistency.)

5. Transfer to a 9x11 baking dish. Evenly top with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan Cheese. Season with salt & pepper. Bake 16-18 minutes, or until lightly browned on top. Remove from oven and let stand for 2 minutes before serving.