This whole wheat tube pasta, ground beef, cheese and spinach puree recipe is rich in so many nutrients – protein, calcium, iron, vitamin A, B, C, E and K, potassium, fiber, folate, manganese, magnesium, zinc, phosphorus, copper, niacin, selenium and riboflavin. I cook this recipe especially for my kids, as I sneak via the spinach puree a lot of nutrients.
This recipe can be gluten free if you opt for gluten free pasta. I like the whole wheat pasta because it tastes better that the gluten free alternative for me and it also brings essential grain nutrients. You can opt for ground turkey and fat free cheese to reduce the fat in this recipe. Most of the time I make this recipe for my kids which actually eat it, so I keep the fat as my kids need it for growth and development.
Ground Beef, Pasta, Spinach and Cheese Mix
niacin, selenium and riboflavin
Equipment
Ingredients
- 6 ounces pasta whole wheat uncooked small tube pasta
- 1 pound ground beef
- 1 bunch spinach fresh
- ½ jar marinara
- 1 egg
- ½ carton 15 ounces ricotta cheese
- 1 ¼ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese grated
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients
- Wash hands with soap and water. Check out our article about how to wash hands properly
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
Spinach Puree
- Wash 1 bunch of spinach under running water
- Over medium heat boil 1 cups of water
- Once the water starts boiling, add spinach
- Simmer for 1-2 minutes until the spinach is wilted
- Puree the spinach. I use a food processor.
Cook The Pasta
- Cook the 6 ounces pasta according to the package directions (i.e. bring water to boil, add pasta, boil for 10-12 minutes)
- Once pasta is done to your likeness, drain the water (do not wash the pasta)
Meat Sauce
- Over medium heat, brown 1 lb ground beef. Drain as needed.
- Wash hands with soap after handling meat
- Add ½ jar marinara to the brown ground beef. Sauté for 1-2 minutes to blend and set aside.
Cheese Mix
- In a large bowl, mix 1 beaten egg, ½ 15 ounces carton ricotta cheese, 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese, and ¼ cups grated Parmesan cheese
Bake the Dish
- Mix pasta, spinach puree and cheese mixture together
- In a greased baking dish, layer first some meat sauce and then some pasta mixture.
- Repeat layers until you run out of pasta mixture and finish the layers with the meat sauce.
- Cover and bake on 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 40 minutes. Uncover the baking dish and sprinkle with ¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese. Bake for an additional 5-10 min until the cheese melts.
- Enjoy!
Video
Notes
- I use whole wheat pasta for the recipe, but you can use any other of your choice. Some people like gluten free.
- There is a lot of cheese in this recipe so to reduce the calorie count (and fat) you can opt for fat-free/low-fat alternatives
- You can use 1-2 tbsp to wilt the spinach. I use 1 cup as I save the water rich in vitamins for stock.
- I use spinach puree to many recipes to sneak in great nutrients to the dishes.
- Start with the meat sauce first and end with the meat sauce last
- You can use any type of tomato-based sauce such as spaghetti sauce, traditional marinara, etc. In this recipe, I am using marinara with basil
- We are extremely excited to announce we are now using the saferecipeguide.org guidelines to make our recipe safe-friendly. We will slowly be incorporating the safe recipe guidelines into our recipe instructions!
Nutrition
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