Low Carb Spinach and Ricotta Bake: keto-friendly, healthy, mouth watering and easy to make. 2.5g net carbs.
Spinach and ricotta are a classic combination. Both ingredients are versatile and work well in a range of savoury dishes. Packaged ricotta keeps for a while and frozen spinach performs just as well as fresh, so I often keep both on hand for those I-don’t-know-what-to-cook days or when I can’t be bothered to shop.
Yesterday was one of those days. I opened the fridge and a tub of ricotta caught my eye. I checked the freezer and found an unopened bag of spinach. Back to the fridge: eggs, mozzarella, Parmesan, cream, garlic and spices — all there. No shopping trip needed.
Spinach and ricotta often appear in recipes as a filling for cannelloni or as a quick pasta sauce. For this recipe you don’t need pasta or any pasta substitute — it’s a stand-alone bake that’s low carb and full of flavour.
With a little improvisation I put the ingredients together and popped the dish in the oven. The kitchen quickly filled with an inviting aroma that promised something delicious.
Forty minutes later the bake was ready to rest.
A simple salad of mixed leaves, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and avocado made a fresh side and dinner was served. It tasted just as good as it smelled.
The Low Carb Spinach and Ricotta Bake turned out so well that there were no leftovers — my partner and I enjoyed second helpings and finished the lot.
I hope you will enjoy it as much as we do!
Low Carb Spinach and Ricotta Bake
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 600 g frozen spinach
- 1 garlic clove, minced
- ¼ tsp fine Himalayan pink salt
- 20 g extra virgin olive oil
- ½ tsp grated nutmeg
- ½ tsp paprika powder
- 2 sprinkles freshly ground black pepper
- 1 beef stock cube, crumbled
- 2 large eggs
- 250 g ricotta (drain any visible liquid)
- 100 g mozzarella, cubed
- 50 g double cream
- 75 g freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (or about 100g Grana Padano)
Instructions
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Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil into a shallow pan or wok over medium heat.
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Add the spinach, minced garlic, crumbled stock cube, nutmeg, paprika and a generous grind of black pepper.
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Stir and cook until the mixture is dry and just beginning to crackle. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed (don’t add salt yet). Set aside to cool.
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Preheat the oven to 180ºC fan (200ºC static).
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Whisk the eggs until they have tripled in volume.
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Add the ricotta (discard any visible liquid) and whisk again until smooth.
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Stir in the double cream and whisk briefly to combine.
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Add ¼ tsp salt, another sprinkle of black pepper, the cooled spinach, 50g of the grated Parmesan and the cubed mozzarella. Mix thoroughly.
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Pour the mixture into a buttered oven dish and level the surface with the back of a spoon.
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Sprinkle the remaining Parmesan evenly over the top.
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Bake for 30 minutes, then increase the oven to 200ºC fan (220ºC static) and bake for a further 3–5 minutes until the top is nicely caramelised.
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Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition
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