Italian Flag Baked Ziti
 
 
An easy baked ziti filled with all of the colors of the Italian flag - red tomato sauce, green chopped spinach, and white creme fraiche-parmesan sauce.
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 28 oz canned crushed tomatoes
  • 3 leafy fresh basil sprigs, tough stems reserved and leaves chopped
  • 1 lb ziti
  • 2 (10 oz) packages frozen chopped spinach, defrosted and squeezed dry
  • 1 cup creme fraiche
  • ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
  • 1 cup coarsely grated mozzarella cheese
Instructions
  1. Heat oven to 400F.
  2. In a large heavy-bottomed pot or saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic, tomatoes, basil stems, salt, and black pepper to the oil, stirring to combine. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, or until reduced slightly. Remove the basil stems. Turn off the heat and set aside.
  3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook it until it is al dente, about 1 minute less than the package instructions. Drain and stir into the tomato sauce. Set aside.
  4. Meanwhile, stir together the spinach, creme fraiche, Parmesan cheese, half of the mozzarella, and the chopped basil leaves in a large bowl. Season with 1 tsp salt. Stir again.
  5. Pour a third of the pasta into a 9x13-inch baking pan and spread into an even layer. Top with spoonfuls of half of the spinach mixture, then spread into an even layer. Top with half of the remaining pasta and the remaining spinach mixture. Add the rest of the pasta to the top. Sprinkle with the remaining mozzarella.
  6. Place in the oven and bake, uncovered, until it is browned and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Rest for 15 minutes before serving.
Notes
Recipe adapted slightly from Now & Again
Recipe by Joanne Eats Well With Others at https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2019/11/italian-flag-baked-ziti.html