Baked Ziti Casserole with Mushrooms and Spinach Recipe

This vegetarian Baked Ziti Casserole with Mushrooms and Spinach is hearty and delicious. The recipe is loaded with veggies, cheese and sauce, and is enough to feed a crowd. This post is brought to you by Barilla and Galbani. All opinions are my own.

It feels like I just blinked, and now the holidays are here! You’d think by now I would have holiday planning down to a science, but nope— Every year I’m scrambling to decorate my home, buy presents for family and friends and prepare an epic feast for my loved ones….it’s really a ton of work, if you think about it!

One of the ways I make a little extra time during the holiday season is by making and serving casseroles. These dishes are always big enough to serve a crowd, and if we don’t have extended family or friends over for dinner, they make fantastic leftovers!

My go-to casserole dish during this time of year is Baked Ziti with Mushrooms and Spinach. It’s super easy to make thanks to a few shortcuts I use, as well as prime ingredients like Barilla Zita, Barilla Traditional Sauce and Galbani Mozzarella and Ricotta Cheese from Walmart.

→ Ibotta Offer: Earn $2 when you purchase Barilla Pasta/Sauce and Galbani Cheese

Baked Ziti Casserole with Mushrooms and Spinach Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1-16 oz box Barilla Ziti
• 1 jar Barilla Traditional Sauce
• 1-15 oz container Galbani ricotta cheese
• 1/2 chunk (8oz) Galbani mozzarella cheese*, cut in half
• 2 cups mushrooms, sliced
• 10oz spinach, chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Note: There are two types of Galbani mozzarella chunk cheese available: one says “great for slicing” and one says “great for shredding”. I used “great for slicing” because I used slices of mozzarella cheese to top my baked ziti casserole. You could easily sub the “great for shredding” chunk and shred the same amount of cheese on top of the ziti casserole. Either with be creamy and delicious!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook ziti in boiling water for 8 minutes, until al dente. Drain and rinse ziti with cold water to stop cooking further. Set aside.

3. While water is boiling and ziti is cooking, saute mushrooms and spinach in olive oil. Set aside. I used frozen sliced mushroom and chopped spinach for this recipe.

4. In a large bowl, mix ricotta cheese and half of the jar of Barilla Traditional sauce. Add cooked ziti, sauteed mushrooms, and spinach. Stir.

5. Add salt, pepper, and oregano to taste. This is a personal preference and I suggest tasting as you add each spice to achieve the desired flavor.

6. Shred 4 oz Galbani mozzarella cheese into pasta. Stir gently.

7. Spread half of remaining pasta sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Pour ziti mixture into the dish.

8. Cut 4 oz of Galbani mozzarella cheese into thin slices and place on top of pasta. Pour remaining pasta sauce on top.

9. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.

I made this Baked Ziti Casserole for my family last night and invited my mom over to join us for dinner— it was a huge hit! My mom, who is an excellent cook, was even impressed by my creation and asked for the recipe.

Needless to say, I will be making this dish a few more times this holiday season because it’s easy and delicious. Plus, any leftover casserole can be frozen for a second lunch or dinner!

Barilla and Galbani make the perfect pairing for the holidays.

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Baked Ziti Casserole with Mushrooms & Spinach

Author: Stefanie Fauquet

Ingredients

• 1-16 oz box Barilla Ziti
• 1 jar Barilla Traditional Sauce
• 1-15 oz container Galbani ricotta cheese
• 1/2 chunk 8oz Galbani mozzarella cheese*, cut in half
• 2 cups mushrooms sliced
• 10 oz spinach chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook ziti in boiling water for 8 minutes, until al dente. Drain and rinse ziti with cold water to stop cooking further. Set aside.
3. While water is boiling and ziti is cooking, saute mushrooms and spinach in olive oil. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, mix ricotta cheese and half of the jar of Barilla Traditional sauce. Add cooked ziti, sauteed mushrooms and spinach. Stir.
5. Add salt, pepper and oregano to taste.
6. Shred 4 oz Galbani mozzarella cheese into pasta. Stir gently.
7. Spread half of remaining pasta sauce into the bottom of a baking dish. Pour ziti mixture into the dish.
8. Cut 4 oz of Galbani mozzarella cheese into thin slices and place on top of pasta. Pour remaining pasta sauce on top.

9. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and lightly browned.