PASTA CASSEROLE

Here's something tasty for pasta lovers! The biggest plus points of pasta and Smiltenes Piens cream cheese are the speed, simplicity and great taste. This recipe is made just for you by cookbook author Signe Meirāne and Smiltenes Piens. ENJOY!

Ingredients

250g pasta (large clams)
a small handful of cedar nuts

For filling

480g Smiltenes Piens’ cream cheese
60 g fresh baby spinach, chopped
2 garlic cloves, grated
1 tbsp pesto
1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
sea salt to taste

For sauce

30ml extra virgin olive oil
100g finely chopped carrots
100g finely chopped celery stalks
500 g tomatoes in their own juice
1-2 tbsp demerara sugar
1/3 tsp freshly ground pepper
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 bay leaf
sea salt to taste
a little cinnamon
a handful of chopped basil or a little dried basil

Preparation

Start by making the sauce. Pour oil in saucepan, add the carrots, celery, garlic and salt. Sauté on a low flame for 15 minutes. Add the bay leaf, tomatoes, cinnamon, basil, pepper and sugar (the amount depends on how sweet the tomatoes are). Sauté on a low flame until reduced. Meanwhile, bring the water to the boil, put the paste in a bowl, cover with water and leave for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, mix all the filling ingredients in a bowl. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees hot. Pour the sauce into the baking dish. Strain the pasta and fill with the cream. Place in the dish, pressing slightly into the sauce. Put all the pasta in this way. Top with nuts and bake for 30 minutes. Remove and serve.

Preparation process

End result