Spinach and Ricotta Pasta Bake

Ingredients

• 400g penne
• 1 x 360g jar of Ballymaloe 100 Recipe Sauce
• 1 bunch of fresh basil
• 1/2 tsp chilli flakes (optional)
• 1 x 125g ball of fresh mozzarella
• 2 handfuls of grated mozzarella
• 350g (frozen) chopped spinach
• 500g ricotta
• 50g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Method

1. Prep: Preheat the oven to 200C (180C fan).
2. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Add the penne and cook according to the packet instructions, until al dente. Drain (save a cup of the penne cooking water), then transfer it back to the saucepan.
3. In a large bowl, mix the spinach, ricotta, grated mozzarella as well as half of the grated parmesan cheese to make the ricotta mixture. Season to taste. Add the penne cooking water to make it creamer if needed.
4. Stir the penne into the ricotta mixture and combine.
5. Transfer the penne to a heatproof baking dish and pour the Ballymaloe 100 Recipe Sauce on top. Tear the fresh mozzarella into strips and scatter it over the penne along with remaining parmesan.
6. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Loosely cover the baking dish with foil if needed.
7. Remove the dish from the oven and allow to stand for 5 minutes.

Scatter over some basil to garnish, then serve straight to the table with garlic bread and a lightly dressed green salad on the side.