Spinach-Prosciutto Casserole

I wasn't so sure if my kids would go for this, but I took a picture of it before we ate just in case. And I'm glad I did - both kids ate their entire portion, without complaint and without me having to coax them one bit. In my family, that's the equivalent of my kids giving something 4 Michelin stars!

This made enough to fill two 2-quart casserole dishes (I froze one for a future dinner).

Spinach-Prosciutto Casserole

1 box elbow pasta, prepared according to package directions
1 1/2 cups ricotta (I used part-skim)
2 cups shredded mozzarella (again, I used part-skim)
1 egg
20 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed as dry as possible
salt & pepper
2 cups marinara sauce
1/4 lb prosciutto, chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan


Cook and set aside the elbow pasta.

In a large bowl, mix together the ricotta, 1 cup of the mozzarella, and the egg. Stir in the spinach. Season with salt & pepper.

In a small bowl, mix together the marinara and the prosciutto.

Layer the casserole; into one casserole dish, layer 1/4 of the pasta, then 1/4 of the marinara mixture, then 1/4 of the cheese-spinach mixture. Repeat the layers. Layer the remaining ingredients into your second casserole dish. Divide the additional 1 cup mozzarella over the tops of each dish. Sprinkle each casserole with 1/4 cup grated parmesan.

When ready to eat, heat the oven to 400F. Bake a refrigerated casserole for about 30 minutes, or until completely cooked through (remember, there is egg in there!). The cooking time will be longer for a frozen casserole, but I haven't tried that yet :-)