Monday, May 02, 2011

Monday Mangia - Rigatoni & Collard Green Casserole

This was a great meatless casserole that we had as the main dish. It would be easy to add cooked ham or chicken and make it a more hearty meal. A side salad or crusty bread would be good additions too!
We don't EVER make collard greens (we rely on other family members to cook them to perfection, it is an art of sorts!).
This dish can be made ahead, just bring to room temperature and bake.
Baked Rigatoni with Ricotta and Collard Greens:
Almost assembled:

Added the grated Parmesan cheese on top:

After baking, we dug in!

Here's the recipe.
Ingredients:
1 (16-ounce) package rigatoni pasta
1/4 cup butter
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound collard greens, washed, drained, and chopped
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups fat free chicken broth
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 cup ricotta cheese
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Prepare pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly grease a 13- x 9-inch baking dish.
Heat butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; sauté onion 5 minutes or until just brown. Add garlic, and cook about 1 minute.
Reduce heat to medium-low, and add greens; cover and cook 15 to 20 minutes or until greens are tender, stirring occasionally.
Sprinkle greens with flour. Cook uncovered, stirring constantly, 1 minute.
Gradually add milk, stirring well. Cook 5 minutes, stirring often, until thickened and smooth.
Remove from heat; stir in cooked pasta, mozzarella, and next 5 ingredients.
Place into prepared dish, and sprinkle evenly with Parmesan.
Bake at 350° for 15 to 20 minutes.

Check out other recipes here:

2 comments:

Deb said...

Yum! Thanks for sharing. I bet some white beans would be a good shot of extra protein in this as well.

China Dreams said...

I've never had collard greens but I love one-dish meals. Can they be substituted with chard or spinach?

Ruby