Spinach Pasta Bake

Simple delicious Spinach Pasta Bake – quick and easy to make pasta dish with healthy fresh spinach and a homemade tomato sauce.

YIELD: SERVES 4

Ingredients

For the pasta sauce:

• 100g (3.5oz) of onion, diced
• 100g (3.5oz) of carrot, diced
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 425g (15oz) of crushed tomatoes
• 1 tbs of tomato paste (puree)
• 1/2 tbs of balsamic vinegar
• pinch of dried basil
• pinch of dried oregano
• 1.5 cups (360ml) of water
• salt and black pepper
• cooking oil spray (I used olive oil)

For the pasta bake

• 250g (9oz) of uncooked pasta (I used penne rigate)
• 4-5 handfuls of fresh spinach, chopped
• 150g (5.5oz) of mozzarella, broken into pieces
• 30g (1oz) of parmesan, grated

Instructions

1. Spray a frying pan with some cooking oil spray.
2. Add the onion, carrot and garlic and fry for a couple of minutes to soften.
3. Add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, vinegar, herbs and water, bring to a boil and then cover and simmer for about 10-15 minutes.
4. Add to a blender (or use a stick blender and blend until smooth (you can leave the sauce as is if you prefer).
5. Taste sauce and season as needed with salt and black pepper.
6. Preheat oven to 180c/Fan 160c/350f or gas mark 4
7. Cook pasta accordingly to package instructions until al dente. Reserve a little of the pasta water
8. Combine the sauce with the pasta and chopped spinach until all mixed well. Add in a little of the reserved pasta water if needed to loosen sauce.
9. Add to an ovenproof dish and top with the cheeses.
10. Bake for approx 25-30 minutes until cheese on top is melted and lightly golden.
11. Serve and enjoy!!

Notes

This recipe is gluten free, vegetarian, Slimming World and Weight Watchers friendly.

• Slimming World – 1 HEa per serving
• Green WW Smart Points – 11 per serving
• Blue WW Smart Points – 11 per serving
• Purple WW Smart Points – 5 per serving (use whole grain pasta)
• Gluten Free – use a gluten free pasta of choice
• Vegetarian – swap the parmesan for a vegetarian friendly cheese

Nutrition Information

Yield

4

Serving Size

1Amount Per Serving

Calories308

Total Fat15g

Saturated Fat7g

Trans Fat0g

Unsaturated Fat7g

Cholesterol36mg

Sodium795mg

Carbohydrates30g

Fiber6g

Sugar9g

Protein17g