Easy pasta bake
Ingredients
- 3 oz Whole wheat pasta uncooked e.g. shells 3oz
- 2 tsp Extra virgin olive oil 0.3oz
- 1 medium Yellow onion finely chopped 3.3oz
- 1 tsp Garlic minced 0.1oz
- 14 oz Tomatoes canned 14oz
- 3½ cup Baby spinach. 2.3oz
- 1 cup Basil fresh whole leaves 0.8oz
- ⅓ cup Part-skim mozzarella cheese shredded 1.3oz
- ⅓ cup Grated Parmesan cheese 0.9oz
Steps
- Preheat the oven 425°F. Lightly grease a baking dish or spray with olive oil. Cook the pasta in a large saucepan of boiling water until almost tender, about 10 minutes.
- Heat the oil in a medium non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 5 minutes, stirring until onion is soft. Add the canned tomatoes, season to taste. Bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the spinach and half the basil.
- Drain the pasta, reserve 2 tablespoons of pasta water. Add the pasta and the water to the sauce, mix well. Spoon pasta and sauce into the prepared baking dish. Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese. Bake for 15 minutes, until sauce is bubbling and cheese is golden. Scatter remaining basil and season with black pepper.
- TIP: If you are reserving the second serving for later, leave the basil off. Allow bake to cool. Cover with foil and place in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. When reheating, spoon a tablespoon of water over the bake, press a sheet of parchment paper onto the surface and cover with foil. Reheat for 15 minutes at 350°F, then remove the foil, paper and heat for a further 5 minutes. Top with remaining basil and season with pepper when ready to serve.