Baked Spinach Tagliatelle

I absolutely love pasta, and cheese. If you mix the two together, I am in heaven! This recipe takes some patience, which I do not have. Make sure to keep stirring the Bechamel Sauce. At the beginning, I never believed that it would get thick, but I promise, it will. I also had a hard time finding fresh spinach tagliatelle, so I ended up getting boxed spinach fettuccine and boiling it as the box directed.

This recipe is totally worth the time spent at the oven stirring the sauce!

-Sarah

Baked spinach Tagliatelle
From “Vegetarian: Create Great-Tasting Dishes through the Seasons” by Ting Morris, Rachel Lane and Carla Bardi

Ingredients:

Bechamel Sauce:

1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

Pasta

1 pound store-bought fresh spinach tagliatelle

1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bechamel Sauce: Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and salt and stir until smooth. Remove from the heat and gradually add the milk, mixing well to prevent lumps from forming. Return the saucepan to the heat and simmer, stirring constantly, until thickened and cooked. Set aside.

Pasta: Preheat the oven to 350*F. Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente, 3-4 minutes. Drain well. Butter a large ovenproof baking dish and spread with a layer of Bechamel.Cover with pasta and top with pieces of butter. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Repeat this layering process until all the ingredients are in the dish, finishing with a layer of butter and cheese. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown. Serve hot.