Easy Baked Ziti

• servings: 8 servings
• active time: 15 minutes
• total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

4 cups marinara sauce, (32 ounces)

2 cups ricotta cheese, (16 ounces)

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 tablespoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon dried oregano

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

¾ teaspoon sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 pound ziti pasta

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

1 pound fresh spinach

1½ cups grated mozzarella cheese

¼ cup grated pecorino or Parmesan cheese

Chopped fresh parsley and/or torn basil leaves, for garnish

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Spread ½ cup marinara in the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta cheese, garlic, lemon zest, oregano, red pepper flakes, ½ teaspoon salt, and several grinds of pepper.

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the pasta according to package directions until al dente. Drain.

Return the pot back to the stove. Over low heat, drizzle the bottom of the pot with a little olive oil and add the spinach. Toss and sauté 1 to 2 minutes until just wilted, working in batches if necessary. Turn off the heat, remove the spinach from the pot, and gently squeeze out some of the excess water. Coarsely chop it and set aside.

Add the pasta back to the pot along with the remaining marinara, most of the chopped spinach, ¼ teaspoon sea salt, and several grinds of pepper and toss until combined.

Add half the pasta to the baking dish, top with dollops of the ricotta, the remaining spinach, and scoop the remaining pasta on top. Top with the mozzarella and pecorino cheese. Drizzle with olive oil and bake until the cheese is browned, 16 to 22 minutes.

Garnish with fresh basil or parsley and serve hot.

Nutrition

• Calories: 429 kcal
• Total Fat: 14 g
• Saturated Fat: 8 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
• Cholesterol: 48 mg
• Sodium: 1085 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 54 g
• Dietary Fiber: 5 g
• Total Sugars: 7 g
• Protein: 24 g