LESLIE BUDEWITZ: A few weeks ago, I shared our version of
Skillet Lasagna from the winter issue of
Country Living Magazine.
We found another good pasta bake in the same issue, and I’m sharing it now. I made some changes—I usually do—that made it easier, especially for smaller households.
The original called for ziti, smooth tubes, 2-3" long. We had penne, similar but ridged, to grab the sauce, and they worked beautifully. Your choice.
Canned crushed tomatoes are proof that the gods love us. Use your favorite Italian herb blend, which might be mine, from Killing Thyme, the third Spice Shop mystery.
You’ll see from the photos that the saucepan I used to cook the vegetables got a little crowded. I added the spinach in batches, and it wilted, as spinach does, when I stirred it in to the hot tomato mixture, so all turned out well. Next time, though, I’ll cook the pasta while I’m prepping the vegetables and use the stockpot to cook them, adding the pasta and cheese mixture, and I’ve written the recipe that way.
Smaller household tip: Instead of using the 13X9" pan originally called for, I used two smaller baking dishes, one 8X8 and the other 6X8. The smaller pan has a lid that seals well, so we froze it, unbaked. When the time comes, I’ll thaw it and bake as usual.
Incidentally, turns out things bake better if you don’t accidentally turn off the oven while setting the timer. Not that you would do such a thing.
By the time the oven error was discovered and the dish baked, I was really hungry, so the photos don’t show the salad, crispy bread, and glass of vino—but you won’t forget those either, I’m sure.
PS: I finally figured out how to embed a PDF of the recipe for easy printing.
Scroll down to the 💕 for the link.
Baked Spinach and Zucchini Pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound ziti or penne
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 - 15 ounce cans or 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
4 cups baby spinach, stemmed (chop the leaves if they’re big babies)
3 tablespoons flat-leaf parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped, plus more for garnish
1 cup ricotta
2 ounces grated Parmesan (about ½ cup), divided
1 - 2 teaspoons Italian herb blend
2 medium zucchini, cut into half-moons
8 ounces low-moisture mozzarella, grated (about 2 cups)
additional parsley and basil for garnish (optional)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Oil or spray a 9X13 baking dish or 2 smaller baking dishes and set aside.
In a stock pot, cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain.
Using the same stock pot, heat oil over medium-low. Add onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Saute, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender, 5-6 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, spinach, parsley, and basil. Bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until spinach is wilted, 4 to 6 minutes.
In a small bowl, mix the ricotta, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and herb blend.
When the tomato mixture is cooked, add the pasta, cheese mixture, and zucchini. Stir well to fully mix. Taste and adjust seasonings.
Spoon half the tomato-pasta mixture into your prepared baking dishes. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella. Top with remaining tomatoes and pasta, mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Parmesan.
Bake until bubbling and cheese on top is golden brown, 30 to 35 minutes. Garnish with parsley and basil and serve.
If you are freezing one dish, do not bake. Allow to fully cool before covering and freezing. To bake, thaw and bake at 350 degrees, 30-35 minutes or until bubbly with a golden-brown top.
Buon appetivo!
At Seattle Spice Shop, owner Pepper Reece has whipped up the perfect blend of food, friends, and flavor. But the sweet smell of success can be hazardous . . .
Spring is in full bloom in Pike Place Market, where Pepper is celebrating lavender’s culinary uses and planning a festival she hopes will become an annual event. When her friend Lavender Liz offers to share tips for promoting the much-loved—and occasionally maligned—herb, Pepper makes a trek to the charming town of Salmon Falls. But someone has badly damaged Liz’s greenhouse, throwing a wrench in the feisty grower’s plans for expansion. Suspicions quickly focus on an employee who’s taken to the hills.
Then Liz is found dead among her precious plants, stabbed by a pruning knife. In Salmon Falls, there’s one in every pocket.
Pepper digs in, untangling the tensions between Liz and a local restaurateur with eyes on a picturesque but neglected farm, a jealous ex-boyfriend determined to profit from Liz’s success, and a local growers’ cooperative. She’s also hot on the scent of a trail of her own, sniffing out the history of her sweet dog, Arf.
As Pepper’s questions threaten to unearth secrets others desperately want to keep buried, danger creeps closer to her and those she loves. Can Pepper root out the killer, before someone nips her in the bud?
ALL GOD'S SPARROWS AND OTHER STORIES: A STAGECOACH MARY FIELDS COLLECTION, now available in in paperback and ebook
Take a step back in time with All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection of historical short mysteries, featuring the Agatha-Award winning "All God's Sparrows" and other stories imagining the life of real-life historical figure Mary Fields, born into slavery in 1832, during the last thirty years of her life, in Montana. Out September 17, 2024 from Beyond the Page Publishing.
“Finely researched and richly detailed, All God’s Sparrows and Other Stories is a wonderful collection. I loved learning about this fascinating woman . . . and what a character she is! Kudos to Leslie Budewitz for bringing her to life so vividly.” —Kathleen Grissom, New York Times bestselling author of Crow Mary
Available at Amazon * Barnes & Noble * Books-A-Million * Bookshop.org * and your local booksellers!
Leslie Budewitz is the author of the Spice Shop Mysteries set in Seattle's Pike Place Market, and the Food Lovers’ Village Mysteries, set in NW Montana. As Alicia Beckman, she writes moody, standalone suspense, most recently
Blind Faith. She is the winner of Agatha Awards in three categories: Best Nonfiction (2011), Best First Novel (2013), and Best Short Story (2018). Her latest books are
To Err is Cumin, the 8th Spice Shop Mystery and
All God's Sparrows and Other Stories: A Stagecoach Mary Fields Collection, in September 2024. Watch for
Lavender Lies Bleeding, the 9th Spice Shop Mystery, on July 15, 2025.
A past president of Sisters in Crime and former national board member of Mystery Writers of America, Leslie lives in northwest Montana with her husband, a musician and doctor of natural medicine.
Swing by Leslie's website and join the mailing list for her seasonal newsletter. And join her on Facebook where she shares book news and giveaways from her writer friends, and talks about food, mysteries, and the things that inspire her.
.jpg)
.jpg)
No comments:
Post a Comment