Description
A cozy, cheesy pasta bake made lighter with low-fat cheeses and fresh spinach, delivering comfort food without the heaviness. Perfect for weeknights or meal prep.
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 ounces dry pasta (penne or rigatoni)
- 1 cup low-fat ricotta cheese
- 1 ½ cups low-fat shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups chopped fresh spinach
- 1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes, drained
- 1 ½ cups tomato sauce
- 1 small chopped onion
- 3 cloves minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C) and grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
- Boil pasta in salted water until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in a pan, sauté chopped onion until soft. Add garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Stir in tomato sauce, diced tomatoes, salt, pepper, and basil. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- In a bowl, mix ricotta with chopped spinach.
- Spread a thin layer of sauce in the baking dish.
- Mix pasta with sauce and fold in ricotta-spinach mixture. Transfer to baking dish.
- Top with mozzarella and parmesan cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake 10–15 minutes more until golden and bubbly.
- Optional: broil 2–3 minutes for a crisp top. Let rest before serving.
Notes
- Cook pasta al dente to avoid mushy texture after baking.
- Let the bake rest 5–10 minutes for better slicing and flavor melding.
- Double the recipe and freeze one for later convenience.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 portion
- Calories: 370
- Sugar: 6g
- Sodium: 580mg
- Fat: 13g
- Saturated Fat: 6g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 5g
- Protein: 19g
- Cholesterol: 30mg
Keywords: lighter cheesy pasta bake, healthy pasta casserole, vegetarian baked pasta, easy pasta bake, low fat cheesy bake