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There is nothing like the comforting, cheesy goodness of a baked pasta dish. This Easy Baked Pasta with Spinach recipe comes together with little effort and is ready to eat in under an hour. Protein packed thanks to cottage cheese and lots of spinach–this will be one the whole family will love!
I actually made this spinach and cottage cheese baked pasta recipe for YEARS before I ever put it on the site. It was a recipe I made in my sleep and it always blew guests away when he had them for dinner.
But I never thought it was anything special–it was too easy, too basic, too–you get it, I had reasons why it wasn’t blog worthy. But it is too good not to share.
There are a LOT of reasons I love this baked pasta recipe, but a few come to mind first and foremost. And these are the reasons you need this dinner on your rotation as well–along with this No Boil Chicken Parmesan Pasta if you are looking for another easy option!
Love baked pasta dishes? Try this Italian Sausage Pasta Bake or Ground Beef Stuffed Shells as well!
Why you will love this recipe:
- There is ZERO chopping required. Makes for a super simple dinner to toss together.
- You can prep it ahead of time. Make-ahead meals are my JAM. I love that I can put this all together the day before or earlier in the day and then all I have to do is toss it in the oven when it’s time to bake.
- LEFTOVERS–pasta dishes like this are even better the next day and it holds true for this one as well. We eat leftovers very happily with this one!
Recipe Ingredients:
- pasta: As far as pasta goes, I like rotini but penne pasta or shells or another short pasta should work fine as well. Cook the pasta al dente and you should be good to go! Gluten free pasta or whole wheat pasta will work as well as long as it’s not overcooked!
- spinach: I prefer making this pasta with frozen spinach. I can easily wring out the excess water which is not the case with fresh. However, I have made the recipe with fresh spinach and toss it in the cooked pasta to allow it to wilt and drain with the pasta. I just use a few handfuls of baby spinach then.
- marinara sauce: use your favorite to make sure this dish is the most successful! I LOVE Rao’s marinara but it is pricy so opt for others as well to save a bit of cash and still have loved this! If you are up for a spicy kick, an Arrabbiata sauce is a great option!
- egg: this helps bind all of the ingredients together. If you have an egg allergy, it can technically be omitted with no major issues.
- cottage cheese: I do love ricotta cheese, but love the protein boost and overall flavor and texture the cottage cheese can give to a cozy dish like this. Small curd cottage cheese is ideal. We like the 4% fat cottage cheese which is technically the “full fat” variation. You can use whatever fat percentage you love and have success, the richness in flavor will not be quite as much if you go lower or nonfat, that’s all!
- mozzarella: freshly shredded is ideal for the meltiest, gooiest cheese, but that is not always an option, so if you just have a package of shredded of mozzarella, you are still a go!
- parmesan cheese: grated, if you can grate it freshly, same thing, that will melt better, but use what’s on hand by all means, please!
- garlic: I prefer fresh garlic cloves for a strong garlic flavor, if you don’t have any available, you can opt for garlic powder, use about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon.
- seasoning: a simple combination of Italian seasoning, crushed red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. You can adjust these as desired!
- fresh herbs: these are optional but I love topping this freshly baked dish with chopped fresh basil and parsley.
How to make this recipe:
- Cook pasta according to box instructions until al dente, or just under al dente for more chew in the baked pasta. Drain and set aside. I like to do everything else while the pasta boils so everything is done around the same time. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Combine cottage cheese, egg, parmesan, one cup of the mozzarella, garlic, and spices (salt and pepper included). Stir well to combine. As far as the crushed red pepper goes, adjust to taste. I have a hubby who loves SPICE, so if that is you, go for it–if not, lighten it up.
- Add in the spinach and stir to combine. Make sure to wring out any excess water prior to this step. I take a thin linen and place the spinach in, twist up the end and squeeeeeeeze as much out as possible.
- Pour the pasta into the bowl with the cheese and spinach mixture. Stir well to combine.
- Pour half the jar of marinara to cover the bottom of a lightly oil spritzed 9×13 inch baking pan or large casserole dish. Add the pasta and cheese mixture over top of the marinara layer and spread evenly.
- Spread the remaining marinara sauce over top of the pasta mixture. Make sure all of the pasta is covered with the sauce so that the pasta does not dry it out.
- Bake for about 30 minutes until the mixture is lightly bubbling. Remove from the over and sprinkle the remaining mozzarella cheese over top–more if desired, and bake for another 10 minutes to melt the cheese. Top with freshly chopped basil if desired.
- Allow to cool for 5-10 minutes and serve it up with your favorite salad and some fresh garlic bread and more!
Recipe Tips
- DO NOT overcook your pasta. For the very best results, cook your pasta to al dente or just under al dente. As the pasta bakes, the noodles can soften a bit so if they are overcooked, this can cause them to become very mushy.
- Want to add some meat? Brown a pound of Italian sausage and stir it into the pasta and cheese mixture before adding to the baking pan. My husband is a big fan of this variation!
- I used to always add mushrooms to this recipe as well however, to make this even easier, I cut them out because when I said easy, I meant easy. No cutting or chopping in this recipe unless you want to toss in some more mushrooms.
- Make this and get it all set up the day before you need to bake. I think it is even better after sitting for a day and allowing the flavors to soak in.
- We always serve this with some extra sauce–we are sauce people 100%. I keep some extra on hand and warm it up before serving for anyone who wants an extra scoop.
Storage:
To store leftovers, make sure they are in an airtight container. You can refrigerate for about 4-5 days. I personally find the pasta dish to be even better the second day after all the flavor has extra time to really soak in.
You can freeze this spinach pasta bake, but just know the pasta texture won’t be quite the same after frozen. If you know you are going to freeze it, make sure the pasta is cooked just under al dente for the best possible outcome after freezing!
To freeze, allow the pasta to cool completely and then transfer to a freezer safe container and seal airtight. Freeze for up to 3 months.
Try these other dinner recipes:
- Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Chili
- Simple No Boil Lasagna
- Simple Ground Beef Pasta Skillet
- Protein Baked Mac and Cheese
- Pumpkin Ricotta Pasta Bake
- One Pot Chili Mac and Cheese
- Avocado Pesto Pasta
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Easy Baked Pasta
There is nothing like the comforting, cheesy goodness of a baked pasta dish. This Easy Baked Pasta recipe comes together with little effort and is ready to eat in under an hour. Protein packed thanks to cottage cheese and lots of spinach–this will be a family favorite dinner!
Ingredients
- 16 oz. rotini pasta
- 10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed and excess water squeezed out
- 1 24 oz. jar of your favorite marinara
- 1 large egg
- 2 c cottage cheese
- 1 ½ c shredded mozzarella
- ½ c grated parmesan
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- ¼-½ tsp crushed red pepper
- ½ tsp cracked pepper
- ½ tsp sea salt
- Fresh parsley or basil, optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Cook pasta to al dente according to package. Drain and transfer to medium bowl.
- In another bowl, combine, egg, cottage cheese, parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella, garlic and spices. Stir Well. Add in spinach and stir to combine.
- Add pasta into cheese and spinach mixture and stir well to combine.
- Lightly spray a 9x13in. baking pan with oil and then spread about half the marinara sauce to cover the bottom of the pan in an even layer. Pour pasta mixture over marinara and spread evenly.
- Pour remaining marinara over the pasta and spread evenly. (If you are not baking right away, cover the pan and refrigerate at this point)
- If baking, place into oven and bake for 30-35 minutes until slightly bubbling.
- Sprinkle remaining mozzarella over top to cover and bake for 10 more minutes or until cheese is completely melted and starting to become golden brown.
- Allow to cool for about 5-10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle freshly chopped parsley or basil over to garnish for serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator of freeze.
Notes
- I used to always add mushrooms to this recipe as well however, to make this even easier, I cut them out because when I said easy, I meant easy. No cutting or chopping in this recipe unless you want to toss in some more mushrooms.
- Make this and get it all set up the day before you need to bake. I think it is even better after sitting for a day and allowing the flavors to soak in.
- We always serve this with some extra sauce–we are sauce people 100%.
Nutrition
Calories: 417kcal, Carbohydrates: 52g, Protein: 24g, Fat: 11g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 51mg, Sodium: 1048mg, Potassium: 625mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 7g, Vitamin A: 4841IU, Vitamin C: 8mg, Calcium: 295mg, Iron: 3mg
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you enjoy this recipe? Have a question?Leave a comment below!
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What do you do with the minced garlic? It’s not mentioned in the preparation instructions. Do you saute it or add it raw somewhere? I am looking forward to preparing this. It sounds delicious!
Hi! I don’t make it very clear in the recipe, do I? I will adjust that. It is meant to be added in part 4 with the spices and cottage cheese, etc. I think I bundled garlic with spices in my head. Enjoy this one!!
Would that be a 24-ounce jar of marinara?
Hi! Yes, 24 ounce jar!!
Thank you! I did make it for tonight, deciding that 24 ounces was probably right, and I’m so glad I did!
I love this recipe. Everything was just right, and no one would ever suspect that it was a simple no-chopping recipe. And I love cottage cheese in baked pasta dishes.
I’ll be making this often. 🙂
Yay!!! I’m so happy to hear it! I made this for my son’s birthday this year and added Italian sausage to one and kept the other as is. We didn’t have many leftovers!! So glad you enjoyed it!
Made this twice, and will continue it as a regular meal in our house! Even the baby loved it! Thanks 🙂
So happy to hear this! I have been making this recipe for over 10 years and it is my family’s favorite. Baby approval is the best too!