Ingredients:
5 cups cavatappi pasta
1 (10 ounce) bags fresh spinach, trimmed
1 (14 ounce) cans artichoke hearts, drained,rinsed & halved
1 1/2 cups fontina or 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
1 lb ground beef
1 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 carrots, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 (28 ounce) cans diced tomatoes
1/4 cup tomato paste
2 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
2 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 pinch pepper
1 pinch nutmeg
Directions:
RED SAUCE: Cook ground beef in a large skillet, breaking up with a spoon, until no longer pink, about 10 minutes.
Drain off fat.
Add next 7 ingredients& cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes.
Add tomatoes& paste, bring to a boil, then reduce heat& simmer until a spoon scraped across the bottom of the pan leaves a gap that fills in slowly.
This should take about 30 minutes.
WHITE SAUCE: Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan.
Whisk in flour& cook, whisking constantly, for a minute.
Gradually add milk, 1/2 cup at a time, whisking constantly; continue cooking& whisking until thickened, about 15 minutes.
Stir in cheese& seasonings.
PASTA: Cook in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender but firm, about 8- 10 minutes or according to package directions.
Coarsely chop spinach, add to the pot& give it a stir.
Drain well.
ASSEMBLY: Arrange half of the pasta mixture in a 13 x 9 inch glass baking dish.
Spoon red sauce over top; sprinkle with artichoke hearts.
Top with remainder of pasta mixture.
Spoon white sauce over top; sprinkle with cheese.
Bake in preheated 375F oven until bubbly& golden, about 25 minutes.
Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
If made in advance& frozen, thaw in refrigerator& add 10 minutes to cooking time.
Servings: 6-8
Time preparation: 30 min.
Time total: 120 min.