Spinach and Spaghetti

I grew up with this recipe, which was known in our house simply as "spinach and spaghetti". More accurately it is a casserole of pasta, spinach, cheese and tomato sauce, that are baked together to perfection.


Like other recipes, this is pretty modular: you can use whatever cheeses you like and happen to have on hand, and you can choose if you want to skip the tomato sauce.

Spinach and Spaghetti 

Ingredients (for 2-3 portions): 

- 1/2 pack (about 8 oz/250 grams) spaghetti
- 1 pack (about 10 oz/ 250 grams) frozen chopped spinach
- About 1-2 cups of soft cheese: cream cheese, cottage cheese, goat's cheese, ricotta, whatever you have on hand (you can also use more than one kind).
- A few handfuls of grated hard cheese: parmesan, cheddar, mozzarella or whatever you like. 
- 1 egg
- salt and pepper, to taste
- A few cups of tomato sauce, home-made or store-bought 

Preparation: 

1. Boil water and prepare the spaghetti according to instructions. Drain and wash with cold water to prevent from sticking. Preheat oven to 400 F/180 C.

2. Defrost the spinach and drain it of excess liquid. The easiest way to do this is to place it in a fine-mesh sieve and just press on it until the juices stop running.

3. In a medium bowl mix together the spinach, the cheeses (but reserve some shredded cheese for the top) and the egg and season with salt and pepper. The mixture should be soft, but not liquid. If it's too dry, add another egg.

4. Lightly oil an oven proof casserole dish. On the bottom, layer half of the spaghetti. Top the spaghetti with the spinach and cheese mixture. Top the spinach with the rest of the spaghetti. Cover with tomato sauce (if desired) and top with some grated cheese.

5. Bake in the oven for about 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is bubbling. Serve hot.