Baked Ravioli with Spinach & Walnuts

This was surprisingly good…almost like a white lasagna, but layered with ravioli &/or tortellini rather than lasagna noodles.

The original recipe called for ravioli, but I used a combo of spinach-stuffed ravioli & four-cheese tortellini because I had a little of each in the freezer. I think I almost liked the tortellini better, but it was nice to have a mix of textures, flavors, and shapes.

The original also called for both broccoli & frozen spinach but I was out of broccoli, so used all fresh spinach which I really liked. I only used about 10oz of spinach, but would use quite a bit more in the future since it wilts down to almost nothing during sautéing; it had such great texture and good flavor with the pasta. After I washed the spinach, I took it by big handfuls and wrung it out like a dishrag to get rid of any extra water before putting it in the skillet; tons of water came out, so it's worth doing!

I added walnuts as a garnish, but would like to try mixing them in with the whole dish. I think walnuts (good for omega 3s) go well with spinachy-cheesey pasta dishes. With the low-fat mozzarella cheese & skim milk, this had a fairly light feel to it, in spite of the fact that I had seconds. :-) Can't wait for the leftovers tonight!

Baked Ravioli with Spinach & Walnuts

Serves 4-8

from RecipeZaar

1T olive oil

3 large garlic cloves, minced

1lb (or WAY more! Maybe 2lbs, or 2 big bunches) fresh spinach, well washed, wrung out, & chopped

.

2T butter

2T all-purpose flour

2c low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth

1/2c skim milk

1/2c parmigiano reggiano cheese, shredded

1/4tsp ground nutmeg

salt & pepper, to taste (I didn't use any salt due to sodium contained in cheese.)

2c mozzarella cheese or other favorite cheese, grated

20-28oz (I only had 20 in the house) favorite frozen (thawing it is ok too) ravioli &/or tortellini

chopped walnuts, for garnish

1) In large pot, cook pasta according to package directions until slightly underdone (will finish in oven).

2) In large skillet, over medium heat, sauté garlic in olive oil for about a minute, until fragrant.

3) Add spinach to skillet & sauté for 5 minutes until well-coated and wilted. Drain & remove to small bowl.

4) In same skillet, over medium heat, make a roux by melting butter & whisking in flour; cook about 2 minutes.

5) Slowly stir in broth; increase heat and bring to boil, stirring continuously.

6) Add milk & parmesan and bring just to simmer, cooking for 2 minutes. Stir in nutmeg, and salt & pepper, if desired.

7) Preheat oven broiler to 500°F.

8) In 9x9 baking dish, cover bottom with a thin layer of chicken broth mixture.

9) Layer half of pasta in baking dish.

10) Top with half of spinach, then about half of remaining chicken broth. (Walnuts, too, if you're adding them to entire dish.)

11) Add other half of spinach, followed by remainder of pasta.

12) Cover with rest of chicken broth mixture.

13) Top with grated mozzarella cheese.

14) Place in oven about 8” from broiler element and broil for 4 or 5 minutes or until cheese is bubbling and golden.

15) Plate & garnish with chopped walnuts; serve immediately.