Description
This Spinach & Ricotta Pasta Bake is a comforting and cheesy oven-baked dish featuring tender short pasta coated in a creamy ricotta and spinach mixture, topped with a flavorful homemade tomato pasta sauce and melted mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. It’s perfect for a family meal or meal prep, offering a blend of Italian-inspired flavors in an easy-to-make casserole.
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 to prepare for baking the pasta dish.
- Prepare Pasta Sauce: Pour about 1/4 cup of the passata into a bowl for later use. Add the remaining passata back into the bottle along with olive oil, minced garlic, onion powder, garlic powder, dried Italian herbs, chili flakes, sugar, salt, and black pepper. Screw the lid tightly and shake well to combine all ingredients thoroughly.
- Cook Pasta: Boil the pasta in salted water for one minute less than the package instructions specify to keep it al dente. Reserve about one mugful of the pasta cooking water, then drain the pasta and set aside.
- Make Ricotta Mixture: In a very large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, grated parmesan, crushed garlic, thawed and pressed spinach, shredded mozzarella cheese, salt, and pepper. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water if needed to make the mixture creamy and easy to mix.
- Combine Pasta and Ricotta: Add the drained pasta to the ricotta mixture and stir gently until all pasta is evenly coated with the creamy mixture. Transfer this combined mixture to a heatproof baking dish, spreading it out evenly.
- Assemble Bake: Pour the prepared tomato pasta sauce evenly over the pasta and ricotta mixture in the baking dish. Then, sprinkle additional shredded mozzarella and grated parmesan cheese over the top. Loosely cover the dish with foil to keep moisture in during baking.
- Bake: Place the covered dish in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes. After this time, remove the foil and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes or until the cheese topping is melted, golden, and bubbly.
- Serve: Serve the pasta bake hot, garnished with extra grated Parmesan cheese for a flavorful finish.
Notes
- Use short pasta such as ziti for best results; penne or rigatoni are good alternatives.
- Ensure the spinach is thoroughly pressed to remove excess moisture to avoid a watery bake.
- Adjust chili flakes according to your spice preference or omit them for a milder dish.
- This dish can be prepared ahead of time and baked later, making it great for meal planning.
- For an extra crispy cheese topping, broil the bake for 1-2 minutes at the end, watching carefully 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
