Vegetarian Baked Cheesy Spinach Spaghetti

Sometimes it’s a real challenge getting breakfast on the table at a reasonable hour.  Even 30-minutes recipe take too long when you start cooking at 6 a.m. That’s why I welcome a recipe like baked spaghetti with spinach puree.

If you’re looking for a change of pace from the usual spaghetti with tomato sauce, then check out this recipe adapted from Noreen’s Picture The Recipe.  This is also a great quick and easy recipe for nights when you just don’t really want to put that much effort into cooking.

Vibrant green spinach and soft white spaghetti look great against each other.  This is a combination of cooked spaghetti, spinach puree, and 2 kinds of cheese and it’s vegetarian style which is meatless.  However, cooked and cubed chicken breast meat or ground beef can be added  for another variation. Complete your meal with garlic bread and a fresh fruit salad. Just remember to serve it fresh out of the oven.

For recipe in Indonesian click HERE

Ingredients:

½ lb (227 g) spaghetti (or any kind of pasta)

¾ lb (340 g) of fresh spinach

1 small onion

3 cloves garlic

½ tbsp chopped jalapenos

1 ½ tbsp butter

1 tbsp flour

1 ½ cups milk

½ - 1 tsp salt

½ tsp ground black pepper

3 tbsp parmesan cheese

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup cheese (or 8-10 cheese slices)

Directions:

1.       Start by rinsing your spinach, toss it in a big pot along with ¾ cup of water and some chopped jalapenos.  Cover the pot and let the spinach, cook down for about 5-7 minutes, until it’s wilted.  Once it’s wilted, allow it to cool enough to put in a blender and make a puree.

2.       While the spinach is cooling, get a pot of water going to boil the spaghetti.  Cook it according to directions on the box, until it’s just a touch undercooked (as we’re going to bake it later)

3.       Puree the spinach in a blender until smooth.

4.       Finely dice the onion and mince the garlic.  Sautee them in a touch of olive oil for a few minutes until they turn soft and translucent.

5.       Pour in the spinach puree to the onion and garlic, season it with salt, cooking it on high to allow the mixture to dry out a little.

6.       While the spinach mix is cooking, get another pan on the stove on medium-high.  Add the butter and let it melt.  As soon as the butter melts, add the flour and whisk it into the butter making sure it’s smooth.  Allow it to cook a little until it turns very light, golden.

7.       Slowly pour the milk, while whisking to make sure there are no lumps and bring the mixture to gentle boil.

8.       Season with salt, pepper, and add the Parmesan cheese and switch off the heat as soon as the sauce thickens to the consistency you’d like.

9.       Pour in the spinach mix into the white sauce and mix together well.

10.   Add the boiled spaghetti to the sauce and mix it all together, coating all the spaghetti with the sauce.

11.   Spoon the spaghetti into a greased/sprayed baking dish and top with cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for about 15-20 minutes until the cheese is all bubbly and golden.

12.   Cut and serve.

Bahasa Indonesia

Bahan:

½ lb (227 g) spaghetti (atau jenis pasta yang lain)

¾ lb (340 g) of daun bayam segar

1 buah bawang bombay ukuran kecil

3 siung bawang putih

½ sdm jalapeno cincang

1 ½ sdm mentega

1 sdm tepung terigu

1 ½ cups susu

½-1 sdt garam (sesuai selera)

½ sdt merica hitam

3 sdm keju parmesan

1 sdm minyak zaitun

1 cup keju parut  (atau 8-10 lembar keju leleh)

Cara:

1.       Cuci bersih daun bayam, masukkan ke  dalam panci berisi air mendidih  bersama jalapeno cincang. Tutup panci dan rebus selama 5-7 menit sampai bayam matang.  Tiriskan.

2.       Rebus spaghetti sesuai dengan petunjuk pada kemasan sampai hampir matang saja karena spaghetti akan dipanggang nantinya.

3.       Hanncurkan bayam dengan menggunakan blender atau chopper sampai menjadi puree.

4.       Iris dadu bawang bombay dan cincang bawang putih.  Tumis sebentar dengan minyak zaitun sampai bawang bombay lunak.

5.       Tuang puree bayam, beri garam, masak dengan api sedang-tinggi agar air sedikit berkurang. 

6.       Dalam panci lain, lelehkan mentega dengan api sedang-tinggi.  Tambahkan terigu dan aduk cepat sampai bercampur rata.  Masak sebentar.   

7.        Tuang susu sambil terus diaduk, masak sampai mendidih. 

8.       Tambahkan garam, merica, dan keju parmesan sambil terus diaduk.  Matikan api begitu saus mengental sesuai selera Anda.

9.       Masukkan campuran puree bayam dan aduk hingga bercampur.

10.   Masukkan pasta  yang sudah direbus, aduk merata hingga semua pasta tertutup saus.

11.   Tuang ke dalam pinggan tahan panas yang telah diolesi minyak dan taburi keju menutupi semua permukaan.  Panggang dalam oven dengan suhu 375 derajat F (190 derajat C)  selama sekitar 15-20 menit sampai keju meleleh.

12.   Sajikan selagi hangat.