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Speedy Tomato Pasta Bake

Chef Michael's Kitchen • Food • Recipes

 

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients

  • 1-454 gram package of penne or any pasta
  • 8 slices of thick cut bacon, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 head of garlic cloves, sliced
  • 1- 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes
  • 1- 5.5 ounce can of tomato paste
  • 1 cup of any red wine
  • 1 tablespoon of dried oregano
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • 1 large sweet potato, grated
  • 1- 16 ounce package of baby spinach
  • 1 cup of ricotta cheese
  • 1 cup of Parmesan cheese, shredded
  • 1 egg
  • ¼ teaspoon of salt
  • ¼ teaspoon of pepper
  • 1- 1 kg bag of cheese blend like Tex-Mex

Method

  1. Preheat your oven to 375°F and turn on your convection fan if you have one.
  2. Cook the pasta in lots of salted boiling water. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
  3. In a medium saucepan cook the bacon until crispy and brown, about 15 minutes. Remove the bacon and set aside. Add the onion and garlic to the bacon drippings and cook until soft, 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, paste, red wine, oregano and bay leaf, salt. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the grated sweet potato and cook until soft, about 12 minutes. Add the spinach, stirring and allowing the heat of the sauce to wilt it. This sauce is ready to go but if you’ve got picky eaters, feel free to use your immersion blender to puree any veggie evidence!
  4. In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt, pepper and half the cheese blend.
  5. To assemble, stir the sauce into the pasta. Fold in the ricotta blend. Turn into a 9 by 13-inch baking pan. Top with remaining half of cheese blend and the reserved bacon. Bake until light brown and bubbly, about 20 minutes.

 

Serve and share.