Cheesy Spinach Pasta Bake

I'd picked up a large box of fresh baby spinach at the CostCo and wanted to use it up by it "Best Before" date so I was thinking veggie lasagna. When I checked I was low on lasagna noodles but had tons of these wonderful ziti noodles. Hmmm, baked ziti is one of my favorites of all times. This is a healthy variation on the dish. It's a bit time consuming making it a perfect weekend meal with lots of leftovers for lunches, another weeknight meal or the freezer.

Cheesy Spinach Pasta Bake

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

• 1 lb/454 g dried ziti or tube type pasta


• olive oil


• 1 onion, diced


• 2 cloves garlic, minced


• 28 oz/798 ml can diced tomatoes, no salt added


• 2 tsp dried oregano


• 6-8 cups fresh spinach, chopped or 2 packs frozen, drained


• 500ml container low fat cottage cheese


• 3 cups shredded part skim mozzarella


• 1.5 cups shredded parmesan


• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Cook the pasta as directed on the package but pull it from the water about 2 minutes before the recommended cooking time (it will absorb more fluid while baking in the oven) and drain


2. Heat a large pot over medium high with a drizzle of olive oil


3. Saute the onions until soft.


4. Add in the garlic, tomatoes and oregano, simmer for 5 minutes


5. Add in the spinach and stir until just wilted


6. Remove from the heat and stir in the cottage cheese, 2 cups of the mozza and 1 cup of the parmesan.


7. Add in the pasta.


8. Pour the mix into a 9 X 13 baking pan (lasagna pan)


9. Top with the remaining cheese.


10. Bake at 350 for 35 - 40 minutes until the dish is bubbly and brown.

Enjoy! (This one is nice for a make ahead dish for entertaining!)