Mascarpone Pasta Bake

Ok, so I know I promised a soup every Sunday.  Truth be told, my hubby is getting tired of soup every Sunday.  Boo!  So, I will give up on my lofty goal of posting a soup every Sunday during the winter and scale back to one soup a month.  Sorry for letting you down!  I guess we all have to know our limitations ;)

Instead, I'll post a great idea for a nice hearty meal, one perfect for a Sunday or even a weekday!  SO, here's a good one to start with.  My easy, SUPER easy, Mascarpone Pasta Bake.  It's vegetarian friendly, but super hearty and tasty for the meat eaters out there.  I made this for friends a few months ago and though it was good, it needed a few tweaks.  I think I've worked out the kinks, because now it was really delish!  Quick tip- it's not a pasta to freeze or make a few days ahead.  The Mascarpone dries out and it's just not as tasty.  You will definitely want to bake this as soon as you get it into the baking dish.


Mascarpone Pasta Bake (serves 4)

Ingredients:

-1 small container of Mascarpone Cheese (about 1 cup)
-1 ball of fresh Mozarella Cheese
-10 ounces Rigatoni (about 3/4 box)
-1 box Frozen Spinach, drained of all of the moisture
-1 can Artichoke Hearts in water, drained and roughly chopped
-Salt and Pepper, Olive Oil


Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.  Boil the pasta (al-dente) and drain.  Add the Pasta back into the pot.  Stir in the Mascarpone, Spinach and Artichokes.  Slice the Mozarella Cheese into thin slices.  Add a layer of the pasta mixture (about half of the mixture) to a greased baking dish, then add a layer of Mozarella Cheese.  Another layer of pasta and then top with the remaining slices of Mozarella Cheese.  Lightly Salt and Pepper the top and drizzle with a bit of olive oil.  Place foil on top of the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and broil on low (about 2-3 minutes) until cheese is bubbly and brown.  YUM!