Spinach & Ricotta Pasta

This recipe was created by one of my ex-boyfriends' family. His dad was Italian, his mom Jewish, and the food delicious. Absolutely delicious. I got my dream of going to a Feast of the Seven Fishes on Christmas Eve at his uncle's. His dad gave me some amazing recipes and tons of his favorite cooking magazines. He cooked really amazing Italian food and would spend hours in the kitchen on weekends.

His mom, however, cooked some really amazing quick recipes. Ones that, years after we broke up, I still use as they were fast and simple and yummy. This is one of my faves that he taught me. During college I probably made this once a week, because it's delicious the night of and is also really good when reheated...and I was ALL about leftovers in college. All in all, this recipe takes about 15 minutes. And I don't mean active cook time, I mean COMPLETE from start to finish. Yep. You're welcome.

Spinach and Ricotta Pasta

 
Ingredients

1 lb. penne pasta
1 package of baby spinach
1 small container part-skim ricotta (I use the 15 oz. container of this)
2 heaping spoonfuls of grated Parmesan
2 tbsp butter
Salt and pepper

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. It should take about 10-11 minutes.

2. Saute spinach over medium-high heat until wilted or microwave until wilted (about three minutes).

3. In a large glass bowl, cut up the butter. When the spinach is cooked, put it in the bowl on top of the butter so it causes the butter to melt. After draining the pasta, add that to the bowl as well. Scoop the ricotta on top of the pasta, add the Parmesan and salt and pepper to taste. Mix the entire thing up into a delicious gooey mess.

The best way to reheat is to add a bit of ricotta to the refrigerated pasta and microwave for about a minute. Then enjoy!