Hard Bread Dinner Salad

Sausage and Spinach Baked Ziti

Name: Sausage and Spinach Baked Ziti
Prep time: 37 min
Cook time: 76 min
Total time: 113 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Unknown
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

Total Time

1h 53m

37m prep · 76m cook

Servings

4 people

Rating

—

Difficulty

Hard

125 views

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This sausage and spinach baked ziti gets extra flavor from ricotta and Parmesan cheese and is easy to put together. Add a garden salad and garlic bread to complete dinner.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.