Cooking on vacation is a delicate art, navigating unfamiliar kitchens, grocery stores, ovens, and sometimes, people. In January 2022, Erica and I taught a meal prep class full of hits. It included this soup, a kale brussels sprouts salad I love, a coconut rice pudding and this pasta bake, which stays good for days. All of those recipes are in the rotation but I think I’ve made the pasta the most, not only for meal prep, but for groups. I’ve forwarded the recipe to many friends and family members and have heard about them making it, with their own little tweaks. I’ve made it multiple times for my Bachelor viewing crew because Mondays are not the time for elaborate cooking, at an airbnb in Newport Beach for lots of cousins, and my sister recently made it for a crew of nine at a Bachelorette party. I also think it would be winning at a sleepover (I guess Bachelorette parties are adult sleepovers).
Erica (check out her newsletter
for more from her brilliant mind) came up with this dish inspired by a TikTok hack involving wilting spinach with pasta water. We also loved the rhyme and flavor combination of spinach and ricotta. Whenever developing recipes for meal prep classes, we’re very conscious of time because we’re making 4-6 recipes in two hours (if you’re looking for meal prep menus, we’ve got an ebook with five stellar ones that’s on sale with code DAYLIGHT). When Erica added this recipe to our google doc, I could tell it was a winner and I was even more impressed when I saw how quick it was to make and how delicious it was. Collaboration is the best and I love getting to eat her creations!Here are some reasons it works particularly well for a group on a trip or very easy entertaining:
It doesn’t require any chopping. Dull knives are no problem.
You won’t have a lot of leftover ingredients. When you’re traveling, it doesn’t make sense to buy whole bottles of spices or bunches of herbs only to use a little bit. Most rental homes have salt and you can get small containers of balsamic vinegar at most markets (or ask to buy two small containers from the salad bar).
It’s flexible for many dietary restrictions (dairy is kind of a nonnegotiable). You can make this with GF pasta (or make one tray with GF pasta, one with regular, just boil them separately), you can swap the spinach for another vegetable (we’ve done it with kale). It’s already vegetarian but you can serve some grilled sausage on the side. You can make it more spicy with red pepper flakes or spicy sauce or you can keep it mild if there are kids around.
It’s delicious cold the next day if you happen to be into that (I am most definitely into that).
There’s very little prep time thanks to some key shortcuts (store-bought sauce ftw). While it bakes you can have a drink or make some salad or garlic bread. Easy, breezy.
It’s easy to double as long as you have extra pans and a big enough pot to cook the pasta in (if where you’re staying doesn’t have big pans, the aluminum ones they sell at supermarkets work).
Are you ready to make it? I hope it becomes a favorite for all kinds of occasions. As always, you can find more recipes in the TNHS Recipe Index.
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