Baked Ziti Primavera

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the ziti, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process. Transfer to a large roasting pan.
3. Whisk together 1 jar of spaghetti sauce and the ricotta cheese in a large bowl. Add to the pasta and stir.
4. Place the spinach in the bowl of a food processor; blend until finely chopped; remove and set aside. Then place the carrots in the food processor and process until finely chopped.
5. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chopped carrots in the hot oil until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in the zucchini, portobello mushrooms, button mushrooms, and garlic; cook and stir until the zucchini is soft, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped spinach, tomatoes, and 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning; drain. Add to the ziti and mix. Sprinkle about 1/2 the bag of the Italian cheese blend over the pasta and stir through. Pour in the 3 remaining jars of spaghetti sauce; stir until the pasta and vegetables are evenly coated. Season with 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper; mix. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.
6. Bake in the preheated oven until completely heated through, 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the dish. Return dish to oven and bake until the cheese melts and begins to brown, about 10 minutes more.

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Reviews (4)

Your Rating:

8

acv

Apr. 27, 2009

"I made this as a smaller dish and it came out great. I didn't have mushrooms, so I increased the other veggies. Used homemade spaghetti sauce. I will make this again and possibly add more seasoning..." See more."

6

SpiritedShannon

Aug. 16, 2010

"This is so good! I split my final product (pre-baking) into two casserole dishes. This way i was able to take one to a party, and save one for another day! I just threw it in the fridge and it baked ..." See moreup beautifully two days later. It might even taste a little better too, because all the flavors have had a chance to mingle together. This is such an awesome recipe! Everyone asked me for my secret... haha"

5

Bonnie T

Nov. 15, 2010

"Could you use any more dishes is this recipe?? Load a full dishwasher after dinner... That aside, maybe I'm not made for vegetarianism, because this was.only okay. Certainly not something I'll try aga..." See morein. It needed more cheese, and I did do this scaled down to 12 serving."