Description
A comforting and creamy spinach and ricotta pasta bake featuring ziti pasta, a flavorful homemade tomato passata sauce, and a rich blend of ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheeses baked to golden perfection.
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 out about 1/4 cup of passata into a bowl for later use. Add the olive oil, minced garlic, onion powder, garlic powder, dried Italian herbs, chili flakes (optional), sugar, salt, and black pepper to the remaining passata bottle. Screw the lid on tightly and shake well to combine all the sauce ingredients thoroughly.
- Cook Pasta: Cook the pasta in boiling salted water for one minute less than the package instructions recommend to keep it al dente. Reserve about one mugful of cooking water, drain the pasta, and set it aside.
- Make Ricotta Mixture: In a very large bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, grated parmesan, crushed garlic, thawed and well-pressed chopped spinach, shredded mozzarella, salt, and pepper. Add a splash of the reserved pasta water if needed to achieve a creamy consistency that will coat the pasta well.
- Combine Pasta and Ricotta: Add the drained pasta to the ricotta mixture and gently stir until all pasta is evenly coated with the creamy spinach and cheese mixture. Transfer this combined mixture into a heatproof baking dish ready for layering.
- Assemble Bake: Pour the prepared tomato sauce evenly over the pasta and ricotta mixture in the baking dish. Sprinkle additional shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan cheese generously over the top. Cover the dish loosely with foil to prevent the cheese from burning during initial baking.
- Bake: Place the baking dish in the preheated oven and bake covered for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking for an additional 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 enhanced flavor and presentation.
Notes
- Use short pasta like ziti for best results; penne or rigatoni are good alternatives.
- Ensure the spinach is thoroughly pressed to remove excess moisture to prevent a watery bake.
- Adjust chili flakes to your preferred spice level or omit for a milder dish.
- This pasta bake can be prepared ahead and refrigerated, then baked when ready for convenience.
- For an extra crispy cheesy top, broil the dish for 1-2 minutes at the end, watching carefully to avoid 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
