Salvaged Pasta (Spinach and Spicy Ham Pasta Bake)

The original recipe is from this book.

 

Salt

1 lb cavatappi (ridged corkscrew pasta)

3 tbs olive oil

2 tbs unsalted butter

1 medium onion, chopped

Freshly ground black pepper

3 tbs flour

1 1/2 cup whole or 2% milk

1/2 lb sliced capocollo (spicy ham) cut into ribbons

10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained of all water

1 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 lb fresh mozzarella, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 cup bread crumbs

 

Cook the pasta to al dente, drain and set aside.

 

Preheat the broiler.

 

Heat a deep skillet over medium heat. Add 1 tbs of the olive oil and the butter to the pan. Once the butter has melted, add the onions and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently for 2 minutes. Dust the onions with the flour and continue to cook for 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the milk.

 

Bring to a slow boil and allow the mixture to thicken a bit, then stir in the ham, spinach and 1/2 cup of the Parigiano. Season the sauce with the nutmeg and cayenne and remove from the heat. Taste and salt if needed.

 

Combine the cooked pasta, mozzarella with the sauce, then stir to coat the pasta. Transfer to a baking dish.

 

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, 2 tbs olive oil and 1/2 cup of Parmigiano. Sprinkle over the pasta.

 

Put the dish under the broiler until the bread crumbs turn golden brown.

 

The one major change I made was using chorizo instead of the ham. In the end this turned out good, but it makes alot of pasta.

 

I did have a small issue with the bread crumb topping, as I was too busy watching Western Kentucky beat Drake in the NCAA basketball tournament.

 

Overall it was tasty, but I didn't think the amount of work was worth it.

Done