Sausage and Spinach Baked Ziti

Ingredients

• 1 pound ziti pasta
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 10 ounces talian sausage
• 1 can crushed tomatoes , 28 ounce
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 0.5 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 0.25 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes
• 1.5 cups spinach , chopped
• 15 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 8 ounces mozzarella cheese , cut into small cubes, divided
• 6 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese , divided
• 0.25 teaspoons garlic
• 0.25 teaspoons salt , or to taste
• 1 tablespoon chopped basil , Optional

Instructions

1. 1

   Gather the ingredients. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. 2

   Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil. Stir in ziti and return to a boil. Cook pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until they just start to become tender, about 5 minutes. Drain pasta, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.

3. 3

   Meanwhile, heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and cook and stir Italian sausage, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until it is no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes.

4. 4

   Reserve 1/3 cup crushed tomatoes and pour remaining tomatoes into sausage. Stir in garlic, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and spinach. Cook for 10 minutes.

5. 5

   Combine ricotta, heavy cream, 4 ounces cubed mozzarella cheese, 4 ounces shredded Parmesan cheese, and garlic granules in a bowl. Season with salt.

6. 6

   Add the cooked sausage mixture and ricotta mixture to the pasta and toss well. If mixture seems too thick, stir in reserved pasta water 2 tablespoons at a time.

7. 7

   Spread the reserved 1/3 cup crushed tomatoes into the bottom of the casserole dish. Pour half of pasta in an even layer over tomatoes and top with 1/2 of the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses. Repeat with remaining pasta and cheese.

8. 8

   Bake ziti in the preheated oven until cheese is lightly golden brown and pasta is heated through, 25 to 30 minutes. Garnish with chopped fresh basil.