Season 4, Episode 20: Hybrid Spinach and 3 Cheese Vegetarian and Meat Big Pasta Bake Dinner. 

Cooking for a larger group where some people are vegetarians and others are meat eaters? This is your solution! This is a super easy and yummy baked pasta dish. This recipe uses two pans and will feed 8-10 people. It's similar to a spinach lasagna, but easier to make because you stir the ingredients together rather than need to build layers.

Ingredients: 2 pan version

  • 16 oz penne or rigatoni pasta
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 ½ Tbsp minced garlic from a jar
  • 5 cups fresh baby spinach,  packed
  • 15 oz ricotta cheese
  • ¾ c. grated Parmesan cheese
  • 4 c. shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 2 Tbsp dried basil leaves
  • 2 eggs, scrambled
  • 1 ½ tsp salt
  • ¾ tsp black pepper
  • 49 oz marinara sauce
  • 36 oz frozen Italian meatballs

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 375.
  2. Cook pasta according to the instructions on the package to al dente.
  3. Cook frozen meatballs according to the package instructions.
  4. Spread marinara sauce on the bottom of each pan, one 9x13 inch glass baking dish, and a smaller baking dish 8x11.5 inch/2 QT.
  5. Combine ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, half the mozzarella cheese, egg, dried basil leaves, and salt and black pepper together and stir well.
  6. Cook garlic in olive oil for about a minute, stirring.
  7. Add spinach to the hot pan, stirring to wilt. Remove from heat.
  8. Combine spinach and garlic mixture with cheese mixture. Stir well.
  9. Add cooked, drained pasta, and stir well.
  10. Add pasta mixture to both pans, making the vegetarian portion a little higher than the meat portions.
  11. Add the cooked meatballs to meat pan, or distribute them to both pans as desired, leaving a portion without meatballs for a meatless portion(s). I generally do the larger pan with meatballs and the smaller pan meatless, but you may divide this up as desired based on needs.
  12. Cover both dishes with remaining marinara sauce (this should be about half the sauce or more).
  13. Sprinkle remaining mozzarella cheese across both pans, evenly.
  14. Spray tin foil with cooking spray and cover both pans.
  15. Cook for a half hour, uncover and cook for about 20 minutes more until hot and bubbling and cheeses are all melted.
  16.  Cool. Serve, and enjoy!

Ingredients for smaller 1 pan version:

Substitute the following: 1 Tbsp minced garlic, 4 cups fresh spinach (packed), 1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese, 2 c. mozzarella cheese, 1 Tbsp dired basil leaves, 1 egg scrambled, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, 36 oz marinara sauce, 24-26 oz frozen Italian meatballs

Books!

My hardcover cookbook is $3.00 off. Get the book: One Dish Two Diets Split Table Recipes Cookbook https://storyoriginapp.com/universalbooklinks/36b9ce90-6b57-11ec-837f-8f2460b6a963

My YA contemporary romance book Cabin Crew  https://storyoriginapp.com/universalbooklinks/7b524416-f7c1-11ef-aa8a-9ba899cb9223

Happy eating! Take care,

Julie

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