Description
This Spinach & Ricotta Pasta Bake is a comforting and cheesy baked pasta dish featuring a rich ricotta and spinach mixture combined with flavorful homemade pasta sauce. Perfectly crispy on top and tender inside, it’s an easy-to-make vegetarian meal ideal for family dinners or entertaining guests.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Uncooked Pasta
- 300g / 10 oz ziti pasta, uncooked, or other short pasta of choice
Cheese
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded (or more! For topping)
Ricotta Mixture
- 1 lb / 500 g ricotta cheese
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 350g / 12 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and excess liquid pressed out
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 3/4 tsp salt & pepper
Shortcut Pasta Sauce
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 700g / 24 oz tomato passata
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried Italian Mixed Herbs
- 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes (optional)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- Black pepper to taste
- 2 tbsp water (if needed)
To Serve
- Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven: Preheat your oven to 350°F / 180°C.
- Prepare Pasta Sauce: Pour out about 1/4 cup of passata into a bowl. Add the remaining sauce ingredients into the bottle, screw the lid on, and shake well to combine.
- Cook Pasta: Cook the pasta for one minute less than the package instructions specify (to ensure it remains al dente). Then, scoop out about 1 mugful of pasta cooking water, drain the pasta, and set aside.
- Make Ricotta Mixture: In a very large bowl, mix together ricotta cheese, grated parmesan, crushed garlic, thawed spinach, shredded mozzarella, salt, and pepper. Add a splash of the reserved pasta cooking water if needed to make the mixture creamy.
- Combine Pasta and Ricotta: Add the cooked pasta to the ricotta mixture and stir until well coated. Transfer this mixture to a heatproof baking dish.
- Assemble Bake: Pour the prepared Pasta Sauce evenly over the pasta and ricotta mixture. Sprinkle additional shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese on top. Loosely cover with foil.
- Bake: Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve: Serve hot, garnished with extra grated Parmesan cheese for added flavor.
Notes
- Use short pasta like ziti for best results; you can also try penne or rigatoni.
- Ensure spinach is thoroughly pressed to remove excess moisture to prevent a watery dish.
- Adjust chili flakes to your spice preference or omit for a milder flavor.
- This dish can be prepared ahead of time and baked later for convenience.
- For extra crispy top, broil the bake for 1-2 minutes at the end, keeping a close eye to prevent burning.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/6 of the dish
- Calories: 410 kcal
- Sugar: 8 g
- Sodium: 780 mg
- Fat: 20 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 45 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 20 g
- Cholesterol: 60 mg
