Baked Ziti with Spinach and Veal
- Level: Easy
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings
-
- Nutritional Analysis
- Per Serving
- Serving Size
- 1 of 6 servings
- Calories
- 898
- Total Fat
- 43
- Saturated Fat
- 21
- Carbohydrates
- 79
- Dietary Fiber
- 5
- Sugar
- 9
- Protein
- 49
- Cholesterol
- 117
- Sodium
- 1159
- Total: 1 hr 40 min
- Active: 15 min
Ingredients
2 bundles farm spinach, trimmed, washed and dried, chopped
Salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground veal
1 small carrot, peeled and finely chopped
2 large shallots or 1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 to 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons very thinly sliced fresh sage (a small handful of leaves)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup dry white wine or chicken stock-in-a-box
1 pound ziti, whole wheat pasta or whole grain ziti
4 tablespoons butter
3 rounded tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups milk
Freshly grated nutmeg, to your taste
About 1 1/2 cups grated Italian fontina (recommended: Fontina Val D'Aosta or 6 ounces Gruyere cheese)
About 3/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
Directions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil for pasta.
- In the skillet heat the olive oil, 2 turns of the pan, over medium to medium-high heat. Add the ground veal and lightly brown and crumble, then add the chopped carrot, shallots, garlic, and sage and season with salt and a little pepper and cook to soften carrots and onions, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, add the wine and turn the heat down a bit to simmer gently.
- Meanwhile, drop the pasta in salted water and undercook by 2 minutes from package cooking directions.
- In a saucepot over medium to medium-high heat, add butter and melt, whisk in the flour for 1 minute then whisk in the milk, bring to a bubble and season with more salt than pepper and a few grates of nutmeg. When the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon taste and adjust nutmeg and pepper to your liking.
- Add the spinach to the veal until it is wilted and incorporate, then stir together the pasta, veal mixture, and sauce. Pour the mixture into a casserole and top with the cheeses. Cool, cover and store for a make-ahead meal.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Place the casserole on a baking sheet to catch the drips and bake in a hot oven until brown and bubbly, 35 to 45 minutes if reheating, 15 to 20 minutes, if not.