Penne with Ricotta & Collard Greens

To contact us Click HERE
The cold weather and snow that we've had this week calls for yet another winter recipe.  This one from My Recipes utilizes hardy greens and lots of cheese to create the perfect dinner for frosty nights.

This was super easy to make and came together really quickly.  Both the Husband and I loved this. Definitely a 2nds worthy recipe. This also reheated well as leftovers, which is important because this makes a TON of portions.

A few notes:
- I used whole wheat penne.
- I used about 1 1/3 cups of part-skim ricotta. I think that the 1 cup that the recipe calls for is not quite enough to prevent this from being a bit on the dry side.
- The milk I used was 2%.
- Instead of just collard greens, I used a bag of Trader Joe's "Southern Greens". This included collard greens, turnip greens, mustard greens and spinach. It's already chopped up and washed. If you have a Trader Joe's, I highly suggest purchasing this blend.
- I topped this with closer to 3/4 cup of freshly grated Parm.
- I added freshly grated nutmeg in with the mozzarella and pepper flakes.


Penne with Ricotta & Collard Greens

1 (16-ounce) package rigatoni or penne 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 milk
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
freshly grated nutmeg, to taste

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.