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Recipe courtesy of Amanda Freitag

Show: American Diner Revival

Episode: Say I Do to a Re-Do

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Total:: 1 hr
Active:: 30 min

Yield:: 6 to 8 servings

Level:: Easy

Ingredients

Pesto:

3 cups spinach leaves
2 cups basil leaves
1 cup walnuts or whole blanched almonds
3/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 cloves garlic
Juice of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Pasta:

Kosher salt
1 pound large pasta shells
2 cups ricotta cheese
1/4 cup olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup panko breadcrumbs
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest
2 pounds heirloom cherry tomatoes, quartered

Directions

For the pesto: Put the spinach, basil, nuts, olive oil, Parmesan, garlic and lemon juice in a food processor and pulse until well combined. Transfer to a bowl and stir in some salt and pepper.

For the pasta: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the shells and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside, making sure to reserve a cup or so of pasta-cooking liquid.

While the pasta cooks, mix the ricotta with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and some salt and pepper in a small bowl. Mix the breadcrumbs with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the Parmesan cheese, lemon zest and some salt and pepper in another small bowl.

When the pasta is ready, put it in a large bowl and mix in the pesto, tomatoes, and enough reserved cooking liquid to make a sauce. Transfer the mixture to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, dollop with the seasoned ricotta and top with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake until golden and bubbly, 25 to 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

My Private Notes

Name: Pasta al Forno
Cook time: P0Y0M0DT0H30M0.000S
Total time: P0Y0M0DT1H0M0.000S
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients: 3 cups spinach leaves; 2 cups basil leaves; 1 cup walnuts or whole blanched almonds; 3/4 cup olive oil; 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 4 cloves garlic; Juice of 1 lemon; Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper; Kosher salt; 1 pound large pasta shells; 2 cups ricotta cheese; 1/4 cup olive oil; Freshly ground black pepper; 1 cup panko breadcrumbs; 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese; 1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon zest; 2 pounds heirloom cherry tomatoes, quartered