If you're looking for an easy comfort food casserole, give this baked ziti with spinach a try. It's filled with layers of pasta, marinara sauce, and spinach, with a gooey, cheesy layer of ricotta in the middle.
In a stock pot, bring salted water to a boil and add ziti. Cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain well.
In a large bowl (or the stock pot used to prepare your pasta), add cooked ziti, spinach, and marinara sauce. Toss to coat and set aside.
In a separate bowl, add ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and half of your mozzarella cheese. Stir to combine.
In a 9x13 baking dish, add half of your ziti mixture and spread into an even layer. Next, add all of your ricotta mixture and spread into an even layer. Top with remaining ziti mixture. Sprinkle top of casserole evenly with reserved mozzarella cheese.
Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes, or until cheese is melted across the top and casserole is bubbling around the edges.
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Notes
Baked ziti can be assembled up to a day ahead. Cover and store, unbaked, in the refrigerator. Remove casserole from the refrigerator to bring to room temperature while oven preheats and follow directions above for baking.
Leftovers will keep for 2-3 days in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
To make this dish vegetarian-friendly, look for a parmesan cheese made with vegetable rennet, or labeled as vegan/vegetarian parmesan cheese.