Spinach Ricotta Pasta Bake is made with creamy ricotta and loads of spinach stirred through pasta, topped with pasta sauce, cheese and then baked until bubbly and golden. It tastes like a Spinach and Ricotta stuffed shells – but way faster to make!
Fabulous lazy Monday meal – made from scratch, using my cheeky “shake and pour” shortcut pasta sauce!
Spinach and Ricotta
Spinach and ricotta. We stuff things with it (Cannelloni, Rotolo, shells!), we layer things with it, we roll it up in puff pastry and we wrap it in pastry.
So why don’t we stir it through pasta bakes?
This is a lazy Monday meal I’ve been making for years. I know it’s a little different, but it really is tasty. It tastes like spinach and ricotta cannelloni or stuffed shells – but without the labour. 🙌🏻
Look at this pile of gooey, juicy deliciousness….no dry ricotta in MY pasta bakes!
Shake and pour pasta sauce!
Because this is a lazy meal, I make this with my shortcut homemade pasta sauce. It’s a shortcut recipe because I don’t cook it on the stove with sautéed onions and garlic like I ordinarily do. All I do is add pasta sauce flavourings right into a bottle of tomato passata, shake then pour it over the pasta bake.
To compensate for skipping the sautéed garlic and onions, I add extra flavours into the sauce. 🙂
Sub for tomato passata?
Tomato passata is pureed strained raw tomatoes, unflavoured. It’s sold in tall bottles in the pasta section of most supermarkets in Australia nowadays, and costs around the same as canned tomato. If you’re in the US or Canada, I’ve seen it at Walmart and here are a couple of Amazon – Mutti (excellent Italian brand I use) and Cento (a good value one). Or sub with what you know as tomato sauce.
What goes in Spinach Ricotta Pasta Bake
Here’s a snapshot of the ingredients. For convenience, I use frozen spinach here but fresh can be used in a cinch.
As for the ricotta, any type will work here. Some are creamier and softer than others which makes it easy to mix into the pasta.
If yours is the thicker more crumbly type, it’s an easy fix – just stir through some of the pasta cooking water to loosen it up. The starch in the pasta cooking water will make the ricotta mixture bind better than using normal water or milk to loosen the mixture. The same effect as tossing pasta through pasta sauces right before serving – it’s called emulsifying the sauce (what a show off!😂).
This really does taste like a Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni* – without the fiddly stuffing of the cannelloni tubes. Because as much as we all love eating those stuffed tubes of pasta smothered in tomato sauce and molten cheese, nobody’s jumping off the couch to offer to help stuff them. Right?? 😂
So – are you feeling lazy today too? -Nagi x
* For those of you in the US & Canada – cannelloni is basically the same as manicotti, except the tubes are slightly smaller and smooth, no ridges. Just as tasty!
All things Spinach and Ricotta!
Baked Spinach and Ricotta Rotolo – and it tastes as spectacular as it looks!
And more big juicy pasta bakes
Cheeseburger Casserole (Homemade Hamburger Helper) – OK, so it’s not baked, but it looks like a pasta bake!
Chili Mac and Cheese – ditto for this one 🙂
Watch how to make it
Hungry for more? Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for all of the latest updates.
Spinach & Ricotta Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 300g / 10 oz ziti pasta, uncooked, or other short pasta of choice
- 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese , shredded (or more! For topping)
Ricotta Mixture
- 1 lb / 500 g ricotta (Note 1)
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese , grated
- 2 garlic cloves , crushed
- 350g / 12oz 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 / 24oz tomato passata (1 standard bottle) (Note 2)
- 1 tsp EACH onion and garlic powder
- 2 tsp dried Italian Mixed Herbs (Note 3)
- 1/2 tsp dried chili flakes , to taste (optional)
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- Black pepper
- 2 tbsp water (if needed)
To Serve
- Parmesan cheese , grated
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F/180C.
- Pasta Sauce: Pour out about 1/4 cup of the passata (to make room to add flavourings). Add the remaining Pasta Sauce ingredients into the bottle, screw the lid on and give it a shake.
- Cook pasta for time per packet MINUS 1 minute.
- SCOOP OUT 1 mugful pasta cooking water, drain and set aside.
- Ricotta Mixture – Mix Ricotta Mixture ingredients in a very large bowl. Use a splash of pasta cooking water if needed to make it creamy.
- Add pasta and stir to combine. Transfer to a heatproof baking dish.
- Top with Pasta Sauce, top with cheese. Loosely cover with foil.
- Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the cover and bake for a further 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.
- Serve while hot and fresh!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Originally published September 2015, updated April 2019 with fresh new photos, new writing, new video and most importantly, Life of Dozer section added!
Life of Dozer
Reaping the rewards of the Easter Egg Hunt!
PS Don’t worry, it’s a dog friendly Easter egg!
I love using pasta for my lazy meals as well. It’s always nice to have recipes we can make when we don’t feel like cooking a big elaborate dish.
I know, right??! Pasta often ends up being a lazy meal for me!
Lordy but does that look good. We arrived at our vacation spot and hubby wanted to go to the local pier to get the local fishing report. Well, I haven’t eaten since 6:30 am and it is not 7:00 pm and I haven’t had anything to eat all day. I am so hungry I want to eat this laptop. Your recipe is going on my list for a quick meal so my computer will be saved. Pinning this.!!
What?!? How on earth did you last that long?? Hope you have a wonderful break!! Stay away from the computer! 🙂
Oh God, when am I not feeling lazy on a Monday? 😉 This is a perfectly timed post! It is grey, cool, and drizzling outside – perfect weather for pasta bake. And you’re so right, we spend so much time stuffing spinach and ricotta into things, why not just make into a pasta bake?! It’s way more simple and tastes every bit a great.
Early onset of winter?? Don’t worry. San Fran weather is so weird – it’ll be like summer in November!!
This sounds really great, like something I need to make when the weather cools down some.
Thanks Susan! Definitely great one for the cooler days! 🙂
Looks delish!
Thanks! 🙂
Oh Nagi… I love me some ricotta pasta! And psssst I’ll tell you a secret I have been making ricotta sauces for YEARS! I love this as a lazy Monday type recipe! Who has time for all that folding and stuffing anyhow 🙂
Really?? I googled a bit, couldn’t find anything like this! You and me – two peas in a pod! 🙂
That’s because I posted it ages ago… The pics sucked so it’s in my drafts list to re do 🙂 it’s a slightly different method… Which I think you will love as well!
Tag me when you share it again! I’ll add it to this post as a variation option!! 🙂
I love Ricotta and Pasta together! It’s just so good!! Using it in a pasta bake is such a great idea too 😀 I currently have lactose intolerant guests visiting – but as soon as they leave – I’m adding Ricotta and Pasta back to the menu! This is definitely the perfect week night meal for us!
Thanks Dini! Hope you do try it! 🙂
Hi again Nagi! Forgot to tell you, Gary made your stir fry over spaghetti squash the other day – OMG! Who says you can’t teach old dogs new tricks? 🙂
Oh yay yay yay! So you were sitting back, feet up on the couch with a chilled glass of wine, waiting for dinner to be brought to you?
Hi Nagi! You almost had the scenario right – I was laying in my recliner with a heating pad and a full glass of booze! I have a ruptured disc in my back, so I’m on drugs (all legal), booze and I sleep a lot!. I have my laptop and can still type! 🙂
Hi Nagi! Gooey, cheesy goodness! You know me, I’d have to add bacon! 🙂 I really like the simplicity of the sauce – I quite often whiz a jar of my home canned stewed tomatoes to use as the base for a sauce and I love the convenience of frozen spinach!
I was trying to be GOOD and keeping it totally meat free!! Anything made with your home canned stewed tomatoes would be a ripper Dorothy. 🙂 You live a life I can only dream of!
It’s Monday and I am feeling so lazy, am sitting here contemplating getting a ticket to come over to see you and eat some of the leftovers of this bake! Love the tip to mix milk with ricotta to keep it from drying – I am so totally trying that next time!
Come over and be lazy with me Shashi!
Oh yum! This looks soo good. I can eat pasta all day every day. The best comfort food! And your pasta makes me want that whole pan to myself! :p
Me too Shinee, me too! I never have pasta in the house unless specifically planning to make something. Too dangerous!
Mhmm you can tell a baked dish is going to be amazing if you have bubbly and golden cheese on top! I live for recipes like that 😉 . Pinned and drooled over!
Pasta + cheese in any form, can’t go wrong!
I love making pasta with ricotta cheese, I usually add loads of bacon to it, but spinach will do it too haha 🙂 need to get those greens somehow 🙂
Bacon. It makes EVERYTHING better! Bring it on!
I am totally feeling VERY lazy today, and if I can make and devour this AND STILL BE lazy?!? Winning for sure! This pasta bake looks super comforting and delicious! Love ricotta and spinach in everything, but you are right, stirred through pasta? Heck yeahhhh! YUMM! Pinned! Cheers, Nagi – to a fabulous (and lazy) day!
Me too Cheyenne. SO lazy. Still feeling lazy today!
You are speaking my language with this one…singing my song…right up my alley! I hope I’ve made myself clear – I am loving this, Nagi!!!! I’m all for scrumptious Italian flavors that can happen quickly and easily. I’ve never added milk to my ricotta but I’m certainly intrigued by the concept. I usually add egg and a little parm to loosen it up. Can’t wait to try this!!
I’ve tried egg too, I just thought it wasn’t as creamy! I am curious to know if you have a recipe on your blog for something similar? I’d love to see how a real Italian does it!
I always make baked pasta like this – so much easier! I made manicotti once and I was like, “omg, why??” So high maintenance and it tastes just a good when you stir everything together instead of trying to stuff slippery noodles with cheese. Stuffed shells are easier to do (and look so pretty in the dish), but I save those for company 🙂
Oh goodie! So glad it’s not just me! 🙂 Only SPECIAL guests get stuffed shells in my house!
Oh yummy. Now you know I am a pasta fiend and this looks lush!
I love ricotta and I love collecting new recipes to use it in. Need to check out the reduced section for milk 😉
Can’t wait to try the super quick tomato sauce. I am thinking that will be a godsend when I forget to defrost something 🙂
I’m obsessed with ricotta! I wonder if I will ever get sick of it??