Food & Cooking Recipes Ingredients Pasta and Grains One-Pot Penne With Spinach, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts 4.1 (20) 18 Reviews This quick and easy meatless recipe makes a great weeknight dinner. By Martha Stewart Martha Stewart Martha Stewart is a bestselling author, entrepreneur, and lifestyle expert who has taught millions of people through generations the joy of entertaining, cooking, gardening, collecting, crafting, and home renovating via her eponymous magazine, Martha Stewart Living, Emmy-winning television shows, and 99 books (and counting). Based in Katonah, N.Y., where she helms her 156-acre Bedford Farm, Martha is America's first self-made female billionaire. Editorial Guidelines Updated on June 25, 2024 Rate PRINT Share Prep Time: 5 mins Total Time: 20 mins Servings: 6 Made using only one pot, our recipe for pasta with ricotta, baby spinach, and toasted pine nuts is a simple dinner that's ready in just 20 minutes. When the penne is nearly finished, spinach is added directly to the pot. It cooks briefly until it's no longer crunchy but still beautifully green. Cooking and draining the pasta and spinach together dramatically cuts down on prep, so all that’s left is to top the mixture with creamy ricotta, crunchy pine nuts, and nutty Parmesan cheese, and serve. Light yet satisfying, this meatless meal is sure to please everyone at the table and is perfect for a weeknight. Con Poulos Our Food Editors' Favorite One-Pot Recipes Are Dishes You'll Make Again and Again Key Ingredients for This Penne Pasta Recipe Penne pasta: We love the shape and texture of penne pasta in this one-pot dish, but you can swap in another short shape like ziti, fusilli, or mezze rigatoni if you prefer. Using spinach penne boosts the flavor of the dish while lending it a deep, gorgeous color. Pine nuts: Toasted pine nuts add a distinct flavor and subtle crunch to this recipe. If you'd like to use a less-pricey ingredient, opt for toasted chopped walnuts instead. Baby spinach: Tender and mild baby spinach is particularly convenient as it's nearly always sold pre-washed and doesn't require any chopping. In a pinch, you can use more mature spinach, just be sure to roughly chop it first and cook it until tender (it may need an extra minute or two). Ricotta: You can use part-skim or whole-milk ricotta cheese for topping the pasta. Part-skim is lower in calories and, while still creamy, is less rich and luscious than whole-milk ricotta, which is higher in fat. Parmesan cheese: Whenever possible, it's best to buy a wedge of Parmesan cheese and grate it yourself for the freshest flavor and best texture. If you're looking for a slightly punchier flavor to finish this dish, use pecorino Romano instead. For well seasoned pasta, it's essential to adequately salt your water before adding the noodles—it should taste briny but not overly salty. You can use table salt, kosher salt, or sea salt but avoid using an iodized option. Ingredients ⅓ cup pine nuts Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper 1 pound spinach or plain penne pasta 1 ½ pounds baby spinach, well washed 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese Directions Toast pine nuts: Preheat oven to 350°F. Spread pine nuts on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven, tossing occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes; set aside. Cook pasta; add spinach and cook, then drain: Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta, and cook according to manufacturer's directions. Add spinach during last 2 minutes of cooking. Drain; return pasta and spinach to pot. Add oil; season generously with salt and pepper. Toss well. Top and serve: Serve immediately, topped with ricotta, pine nuts, and Parmesan. Variations To add even more flavor to this dish, you can stir some finely minced garlic and/or lemon zest into the ricotta before spooning it on top of the pasta. You can also swap out the baby spinach for arugula or kale for a slightly different flavor profile (cook arugula for less than one minute as it's more delicate than the other greens). Other Recipes With Penne to Try: Penne With Garlicky Tomatoes and Salmon One-Pot Penne With Zucchini and Parmesan Tomato and Olive Penne Penne With Spinach Pesto and Turkey Sausage Penne alla Norma Baked Penne With Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomatoes Originally appeared: Everyday Food, March 2004 Rate It PRINT Updated by Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds Esther Reynolds is an experienced recipe developer, recipe tester, food editor, and freelance writer with over a decade of experience in the food and media industries.