Baked Pasta With Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Ricotta Cheese

Submitted by spatchcock

"I love this recipe for busy nights, or at the end of a stressful day when we want easy comfort food. This is easy, but not cheap-tasting and is healthy. I use whole-wheat penne for the pasta, so I usually use a bit more tomato juice since whole-wheat pasta tends to need more liquid."

 

• Ready In: 45mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 44.37 ml olive oil, divided
• 1 onion, peeled and chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 59.14 ml sun-dried tomato, drained and chopped
• 411.06 g can diced tomatoes, drained
• 4.92 ml paprika
• 0.61 ml salt
• 0.61 ml ground black pepper
• 226.79 g penne pasta
• 226.79 g ricotta cheese
• 118.29 ml parmesan cheese, grated

directions

1. In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and sauté for 4 minutes or until starting to brown.
3. Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes; sauté 3 more minutes.
4. Add tomatoes, paprika, salt and pepper.
5. Stir well, reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
7. Cook pasta for 7 minutes or until tender and still a bit firm.
8. Drain and toss with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil.
9. Preheat oven to 350°F.
10. In a large bowl combine ricotta, pasta and sauce; mix gently to combine.
11. Pour into a medium-sized baking dish and top with Parmesan cheese.
12. Bake for 20 minutes or until bubbly and lightly browned.
13. Serve garnished with chopped parsley and additional Parmesan cheese.

Reviews

[Abby Girl]

I picked this recipe because I had some ricotta cheese frozen and wanted to use it up! I found this recipe a little on the dry side and lacked in the taste department. If I was to do this one again, I would add 3 - 4 garlic...increase on the paprika...add more salt and pepper....add hot sauce. I had 1 cup of ricotta cheese, so added all of it! Seasoned the pasta with olive oil, little salt and pepper. I added 4 large mushrooms, chopped, but could have added more (8) as they did cook down. The only bonus I would give this recipe was that my 2 year old grand son loved it. The adults thought it was a little on the dry side. If I was to do this one again, once the casserole is assembled, I would add some more liquid of some sort, check the seasoning and add more parmesan cheese!

 

[CanadianEmily]

I wouldn't say it's super fast, but it is easy and tastes good. I didn't have parmesan (oops) so I used an Italian breadcrumb & parmesan mix for the topping. I split it into two smaller casseroles - one for the freezer and one for dinner, each serves two. Next time I'll have to try adding kalamata olives, that sounds good!

 

[stol0136]

I really like the taste considering the simple prep. I agree with the author...low cost, healthy, and pretty quick. Thanks...

 

[therubbishbin]

This was a great and simple family meal. Even my picky 4 y.o. loved it. I did add a little more sun dried tomatoes than the recipe calls for because I love them and used Italian-flavored diced tomatoes WITH all the juice. I also sliced up some kalamata olives I had on hand and mixed in some extra parmesan with the ricotta. This will definitely become a regular dish in our house.

 

[Starrynews]

This was easy to make, but we thought that it was missing something. The ricotta flavor was pretty strong; I think I may try adding some more parmesan next time. Thanks.