Hearty Pasta Bake

Ingredients

• 300 g spinach
• 300 g tortiglioni pasta
• 400 g coarse raw sausage
• 2 onions
• 2 tbsp oil
• 125 g passata tomatoes
• Salt
• Pepper (freshly ground)
• nutmeg
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp flour
• 250 ml milk
• 100 g grated Gruyère cheese

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash, trim, and rinse the spinach. Blanch in a pot of lightly salted boiling water while stirring until wilted, then drain, shock in cold water, and let dry.

2. 2.

   Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water until al dente, then drain, shock in cold water, and let dry.

3. 3.

   Remove the skin from the sausage and break it into pieces. Peel the onions and sauté them in hot oil, add the sausage pieces, and cook until crumbly. Add the tomato puree, bring to a boil, season with salt and pepper, and set aside.

4. 4.

   Melt butter in a saucepan, whisk in flour, and cook until lightly browned. Gradually whisk in milk, bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 5 minutes. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

5. 5.

   Combine the spinach and drained pasta. Spread half of the mixture in a greased baking dish. Layer the sausage mixture on top. Add the remaining spinach-pasta mix, pour the béchamel sauce over it, and sprinkle grated cheese on top. Bake in a preheated oven at 200°C for about 25 minutes until golden.

6. 6.

   Serve hot and enjoy!