Pâtes gratinées au bœuf et aux épinards

Roughly chop the spinach. Roughly chop the parsley. Mix together the mozzarella, ricotta and half the parsley . Season with salt and pepper. Set aside. Peel, then mince or grate the garlic.

While the pasta cooks, heat a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat. When hot, add 1 tbsp oil, then the onion-celery blend. Cook stirring until tender-crisp, 3-4 min. Add the beef and Italian seasoning. Cook, breaking up beef into smaller pieces, until no pink remains, 4-5 min. ** Season with salt and pepper.

Add the tomato paste, garlic and balsamic vinegar to the pan with the beef mixture. Cook, stirring often until beef is coated with the tomato paste, 1-2 min. Add the crushed tomatoes and 1/4 tsp sugar. Reduce the heat to medium-low and stir until combined.

Add reserved pasta water and beef-tomato mixture to the same large pot used to cook the pasta. Heat over medium-low. Cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, 2-3 min. Remove the stew from the heat. Stir the spinach into the stew. Keep stirring until the spinach wilts, 1 min. Stir in the farfalle. Season the stew with salt and pepper.