This is a recipe that’s extraordinarily simple to prepare. When I found it in my cookbook, I thought for a moment and said to myself, “Yes, I do believe I’ve got all the ingredients I’ll need.” I didn’t think much more of it because of how straightforward everything looked. Some spaghetti, spinach, tomatoes, herbs, cheese, and a few more things. I’ve had it all before. Or have I? The secret’s in the baking. That’s what makes this dish so special.
Oh yes, the secret’s in the cheese as well. The way it oozes around the spaghetti and other ingredients while being baked in the oven. With just the right amount of olive oil and seasoning, I think you’ll find this dish just as satisfying as I did. It’s strange because I’m still thinking of it. I ate my dinner last night and was impressed by the depth of flavors this dish offered and I’m glad I’ve got leftovers for tonight. I used lots of onions and a healthy amount of Swiss cheese, so that may have something to do with it. Down below, I’ll give you the specified ingredient list as well as any modifications I made to make the entire thing even better than described in the book. But before I do that, I’d like to thank Carlo Bernasconi and Christian Teubner for this recipe. I pulled it from their The Complete Italian Cookbook and it was fantastic.
Ingredients
Serves: 4
16 Ounces Spaghetti, Long Macaroni, or Bucatini
16 Ounces Baby Spinach (or 12 Ounces Canned Spinach)
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil + More for Drizzling
1 Cup Onion, Chopped (More Onions are Better)
2 Garlic Cloves, Minced
10 Ounces Plum Tomatoes, Peeled, Seeded, & Diced (or Canned Diced Tomatoes)
1 Cup Piquant Cheese, Diced (Substitute with Swiss + Double Up)
Salt
Ground Black Pepper
Butter for Baking Dish
1/2 Teaspoon Rosemary Leaves, Chopped
1/2 Teaspoon Thyme, Chopped
3 Tablespoons Butter
Sweat the Onions & Garlic
Warm a large pot over medium heat. Add the four tablespoons of olive oil to the pot and then add the onions and garlic. The recipe calls for one cup of onions, but I used at least four cups. The more onions, the better, as long as they’re softened sufficiently. Stir and cook the onions and garlic until you see a bit of color on both.
Add Spinach & Tomatoes
Next, add the spinach and tomatoes to the pot. If you’ve got fresh ingredients, excellent. If you’ve got canned, go with that. I used both canned spinach and tomatoes and, while I’m sure fresh would have been splendid, I had a big smile on my face as I was eating last night. Go with what you’ve got.
Pre-Heat Oven
Arrange your oven racks so one is in the center position. Then, pre-heat the oven to 400°.
Cook the Pasta
While all this is going on, cook the pasta. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat on your stovetop. Add one tablespoon salt to the water and then add in the pasta. Cook for 10-11 minutes or until al dente. Once finished, strain through a colander and then add the pasta to the other pot that contains the onion, spinach, and tomatoes.
Combine Ingredients
First, thoroughly butter a large cast iron pan or other suitably sized baking dish. Then, add the cheese, rosemary, thyme, three tablespoons of butter, one teaspoon of salt, and 1/2 teaspoon of pepper to the pot with the pasta, spinach, and tomatoes in it. Stir to combine everything well.
After that, transfer the entire mixture to the baking dish or skillet. Drizzle liberally with olive oil.
Bake the au Gratin
Place the baking dish or skillet in the oven for 20 minutes. During this time, all the cheese should melt into the other ingredients nicely and the flavors should meld together. When finished, remove from the oven.
Plate & Serve
Using tongs, plate the au gratin and season with salt and pepper if you wish. I doubt you’ll need that though. Also, if you want, you can drizzle with more olive oil, depending on how much you already added. Serve and enjoy!
Leave a Reply