Creamy Tomato Spinach Pine Nut Bake (Printable)

Rich Mediterranean bake with tender spinach, cherry tomatoes, and pine nuts in a luscious creamy sauce. Perfect cozy vegetarian dinner.

# What You Need:

→ Vegetables

01 - 10.5 oz fresh spinach, washed and roughly chopped
02 - 14 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
03 - 1 medium onion, finely chopped
04 - 2 garlic cloves, minced

→ Dairy & Eggs

05 - 0.85 cup heavy cream
06 - 3.5 oz ricotta cheese
07 - 2.1 oz grated Parmesan cheese
08 - 2 large eggs

→ Nuts

09 - 1.75 oz pine nuts

→ Seasonings

10 - 2 tbsp olive oil
11 - 1 tsp dried oregano
12 - 0.5 tsp ground black pepper
13 - 0.5 tsp sea salt
14 - Pinch of nutmeg

→ Other

15 - 1.75 oz breadcrumbs

# How-To Steps:

01 - Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a medium baking dish with olive oil.
02 - Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook for 3-4 minutes until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add the spinach to the skillet and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted (2-3 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside.
04 - In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, heavy cream, ricotta, Parmesan, oregano, black pepper, salt, and nutmeg until smooth and well combined.
05 - Gently fold the cooked spinach mixture and half the cherry tomatoes into the creamy mixture until evenly distributed.
06 - Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Scatter the remaining cherry tomatoes and pine nuts evenly over the top.
07 - Drizzle with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle breadcrumbs over the surface.
08 - Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown and set in the center.
09 - Allow the bake to cool for 5 minutes before serving to set the texture.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The ricotta and double cream create this impossibly silky custard that holds everything together while still letting each ingredient shine
  • You can assemble it in advance and bake whenever you are ready, making it perfect for actual humans with chaotic schedules
02 -
  • Spinach holds a shocking amount of water, so do not skip the step of wilting it first or your bake will be soupy
  • The baking time is not flexible, undercook it and you will have a sad, custard like puddle instead of the creamy, set texture you want
03 -
  • Let the ricotta come to room temperature before whisking, otherwise you will end up with tiny lumps in your sauce
  • If your pine nuts start looking too dark before the bake is done, tent the dish with foil for the last 10 minutes

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