Squid Stuffed with Ricotta & Spinach
Submitted by malcolm71
Italian baked squid stuffed with creamy ricotta, wilted spinach, and chopped tentacles, braised in white wine and plum tomatoes. A classic trattoria dish that turns simple calamari into an elegant dinner.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
45 minREADY
65 minThis is the kind of stuffed calamari you’d find at a family-run trattoria on the Italian coast. Whole squid bodies filled with a ricotta and spinach mixture, nestled into a baking dish, and braised in white wine and canned plum tomatoes until everything is tender and fragrant.
Nothing goes to waste. The tentacles get chopped fine and sautéed with onion and garlic before folding into the ricotta filling. An egg binds it all together while Italian parsley and a hit of hot pepper flakes give it character.
The braising liquid reduces into a concentrated, wine-laced tomato sauce as the squid bakes. Serve each stuffed body with a spoonful of that sauce pooled underneath and a lemon quarter on the side for squeezing.
Chef Tips
- Stuff the squid loosely. They contract significantly during cooking and overstuffed bodies will burst open.
- Close the openings with toothpicks or kitchen twine to keep the filling inside during the braise.
- If the sauce gets too thin, raise the oven temperature at the end to reduce it. Too thick? Splash in more white wine.
- Serve alongside rice and braised fennel as the recipe suggests for a proper Italian seafood dinner.
Ingredients
Directions
SQUID STUFFED WITH RICOTTA AND SPINACH Do not overstuff the squid or they may split while they cook.
Rice and braised fennel go well with this dish.
- Preheat the oven to 375℉ (190℃). Clean the squid and chop the tentacles finely.
Set them aside.
- Sauté the onion and the garlic in 1 tablespoon of the olive oil Add the tentacles and cook for 2 minutes. Add the spinach and sauté, stirring, until it has wilted. Drain off any extra liquid and cool the spinach.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, egg, parsley, and the Mix thoroughly and season with salt, pepper, and hot pepper flakes.
- Stuff the mixture loosely into the squid and close the openings 5. Use the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to grease a comfortably in one layer. Arrange the squid in the dish and add the wine and tomatoes. Season with salt, pepper and more hot pepper flakes, if you wish.
- Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until the squid is tender and the If there is too much sauce, raise the oven temperature and allow the liquid to reduce. If there is too little, add more white wine. Serve the squid with lemon quarters. Yield: 4 servings.
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