Love Nests

photo by mickeydownunder

- Ready In:
- 40mins
- Ingredients:
- 24
- Serves:
-
4-8
ingredients
- 2 (28 ounce) diced tomatoes with juice
- 1⁄2 cup olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
- 6 anchovies, finely diced
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 40 g pancetta, finely diced
- 40 g sausage meat
- salt and pepper
- 10 g unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 125 ml milk
- 2 teaspoons fresh chives
- 3 tablespoons pre-shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- 120 g fresh ricotta
- 75 g frozen chopped spinach, thawed, WELL drained of any excess liquid
- 65 g sun-dried tomatoes
- cooking spray
- 250 g dry pasta
directions
- Heat deep fry pan then add oil; fry onions for about 3 minutes; add garlic; fry additional 2 minutes until onions are soft.
- Add in tomato paste; stir for about a minute until combined.
- Add in diced tomatoes in tomato juice, bay leaf, anchovies, water, red pepper flakes and xylitol; adjust to personal taste.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer 45 minutes.
- In additional fry pan, fry pancetta and chorizo sausage meat until golden brown; add to marinara mixture.
- Marinara done! :).
- In a saucepan, add all bechamel ingredients (except cheese) and stir "continuously" with a wooden spoon until sauce thickens.
- Heat oven to 180°C (350F).
- Place breadcrumbs on a baking tray; bake for 5 minutes (until dry, not browned); remove; set aside.
- In a bowl, combine ricotta and spinach.
- Cook spaghetti in boiling salted water; cook for 7 minutes (al dente); drain; oil spray; set aside for about 10 minutes.
- Place 1/2 cup of cooked pasta into a plastic measuring cup. Place the 1/4 plastic cup inside the cup with pasta. If you don't have plastic measuring cups, you get the idea that the spaghetti needs to be "packed" down tightly; can do by hand while pasta is "in" something.
- QUICKLY, turn measuring cup over onto marinara sauce; be gentle but quick lol You want it so it looks like a mound.
- G-E-N-T-L-Y, with the back of a teaspoon push down on the spaghetti to form a round hold without going through the bottom of the spaghetti. You can stop with the teaspoon fits inside the nest with a bit a room around it too!
- Place 1 - 2 teaspoons of spinach ricotta mixture in the base of the nests. with a spoon (or with your fingers ;-) ) GENTLY push down until it covers the base. You do not want to push too hard that the nest will collapse. ;-).
- Top with 1 -2 teaspoons of bechamel sauce.
- Top with breadcrumbs; can add a few pieces of shredded cheese (optional).
- Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Questions & Replies

Got a question?
Share it with the community!
Reviews
Have any thoughts about this recipe?
Share it with the community!
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
mickeydownunder
ADELAIDE, 0
<p>G'day! I'm 51, married, born and bred in NY, am now an Aussie who calls Australia home! I love animals, nature, reading, entering competitions and consider myself S-P-O-N-T-A-N-E-O-U-S and B-U-B-B-L-Y in my personality! I am quite FASCINATED with people and things U-N-I-Q-U-E, JUST like ME! I am VERY P-A-S-S-I-O-N-A-T-E about cooking and trying recipes from all world cusines! I LOVE to eat and enjoy our South Australian red wine! :)I have started a Home Cook blog which I am EXTREMELY P-A-S-S-I-O-N-A-T-E about called What's On The List? and I hope to be able to inspire people around the world one recipe and one event at a time too! http://whatsonthelist.net So come on over and please let me know what you think too!WHOO HOO WHOO HOO!</p>