Healthy asparagus casserole

Ingredients for 6 servings:

• 1 kg asparagus, fresh
• 500 g spaghetti (wholemeal)
• 150 g spinach, fresh
• 300 ml milk
• 200 g cream cheese, low-fat
• 50 g low-fat cheese for gratinating
• 1 pinch of nutmeg
• some vegetable broth, instant
• some sugar
• salt and pepper
• e.g. sauce thickener or flour for thickening

Instructions

Working time approx. 25 minutes; Total time approx. 25 minutes

Peel fresh asparagus and cook in boiling salted water with a pinch of sugar until al dente. This takes about 8-10 minutes (you can boil the asparagus peels/ends later and use them to make asparagus soup/sauce). Add the pasta to boiling salted water and cook for about 8 minutes – it should be slightly firm to the bite (al dente). Wash the spinach and cook for about 4 minutes. Then immediately rinse with cold water and drain. Bring the milk, cream cheese, and vegetable stock to a boil and thicken with sauce thickener or flour if necessary to create a creamy sauce. Season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Fill a large, shallow baking dish one after the other with the pasta, spinach, and asparagus and carefully pour the sauce over them. If you like, you can sprinkle the ingredients with cheese. Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C (convection oven) on the middle rack for about 30 minutes. Serve hot.