The Main Ingredient – Spinach Ziti
OK, here’s the thing, I am writing a cookbook. Not only am I passionate about event planning, I am passionate about food. Maybe it’s my Jewish heritage. Like so many cultures we tend to celebrate with food. And so, for me, food has become part of my everyday celebration of life. Preparing healthy meals is something I can do for those I love.
While eating is a basic necessity of life and we need to do it everyday when you add in the mix of our busy lives and schedules, it can become stressful, even overwhelming. If you would like to cook healthy EASY meals and need inspiration and maybe more kitchen confidence you might benefit from my forthcoming cookbook.
COOKING FOR OVERWHELMED MOTHERS,
CONFIRMED BACHELORS AND THE CULINARILY IMPAIRED
- My recipes are simple.
- If you forget an ingredient, it won’t ruin the recipe (I have forgotten the beans in my drunken Chili). (Ooops, drank some of the beer while cooking and forgot an ingredient!)
- You can add lib – no onion, okay use a scallion, instead. Substitutes of your choice are perfectly acceptable. Experimenting is encouraged.
- They don’t take very long to prepare–usually about 30 – 40 minutes, and that is amidst children running through the kitchen, checking email and talking on the phone.
- The recipes will follow the seasonal availability of produce.
- The recipes will give you confidence and give you a chance to be creative in the kitchen.
- The recipes are healthy. Really, healthy. They may even help you to learn to eat in a way that improves your overall health. Since my (Ex-Confirmed Bachelor) husband married me and started eating my meals, he has had significantly less colds!
And so, I give you the first recipe. I do hope you enjoy it and please send me your feedback!
Cheers!
Your Event (and Meal) Planner,
Jill
Spinach Ziti
This a great any night of the week dish, an impressive potluck entree or an easy dinner party meal. If you don’t like spinach try chopped brocholi, kale, or zuchinni cut in 1/4″ rounds.
1 16 oz (1lb) box of whole grain or regular penne, ziti or pasta shape of your choice
1 24 oz jar of your preferred pasta sauce (Try Paul Newman’s Marinara, I liked him both on the screen and in the kitchen!)
1 15oz container of ricotta cheese
1 bunch of fresh spinach
1 16 oz bag of shredded mozzarella or Italian blended cheese
1 9 x 13 glass or ceramic baking dish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Add the pasta, stir, and add in a good pinch of salt, about a teaspoon.
Stir again and reduce heat to medium and cook for about 7 minutes and check often until pasta is al dente, not too soft not too hard.
While pasta is cooking, clean spinach, pick off any stems and place in a large colander in the sink and rinse well.
Pour pasta and cooking water from pot into colander, this will wilt the spinach.
Drain well, then toss to evenly distribute spinach.
Spread a thin layer of pasta sauce on bottom of 9 x 13 glass or ceramic baking dish.
Place about half of the pasta and spinach in baking dish.
Spread the ricotta cheese in an even layer over the pasta and spinach.
Pour the rest of the pasta and spinach over ricotta layer.
Pour the jar of sauce over the top.
Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly over the top – be sure to cover the corners.
Bake for 25 – 35 minutes or until the cheese on top is light brown.
Serve with a salad if desired.
35 Comments
Leave a reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Jill, this is too good for such an easy recipe!
Speaking as a long time cook this is a very good recipe.
Jill,
I am salivating over this recipe!I am off to the market NOW to get the ingredients!
You solved my dinner woes for the evening!
Jen & I have been making this recipe for a long time........................it is delish and easy
and Jen makes it once a week and we get at least 2 meals from it......................must
run in the family!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Good Luck with the cookbook-----------------you are so very creative......................and
make it sound like so much fun............................xoAunt Brenda
If you wrote this article urselfe, it's pretty well written....
healthy-living
hey jilly, we made your spinich ziti last nite... was fabulous!!! and so easy! (which is KEY for me... i am culinarily challenged! lol) cant wait for the next recipe! xoxo
hey there great little web-site you have right here :) I work with the identical web theme on my website however for whatever reason it seems to reload a lot quicker on this web site although yours consists of a bit more content material. Have you been employing any kind of plug ins or widgets which will speed it up? If you could reveal the programs so maybe I can use these in my own web pages so twilight breaking dawn fans could watch twilight breaking dawn online trailers and clips more quickly I would be grateful - many thanks in advance :)
I like the style you took with this article. It's not every day that you just discover a subject so concise and informative.
Couple things, Zack is now 1 year old, wanting to walk, run, fall,et... and I really am not that bad of a cook, but... with that said my husband says, "dinner it is not ready til it is burnt". With that said thought that I would let you know how it "worked". Day 01, go to store, by 1/2 the ingredients... forget other half. Day 02, go to store purchase other 1/3 of the ingredients, begin to try to make recipe, realize that I still have no "favorite sauce", abort and attempt to find something else for dinner. Day 03, Come home with great intent on fixing the dish start to finish. (forgetting that once again I still have no FAVORITE SAUCE. ) Boil Ziti.... Zack needs diaper change, he wiggles, he squirms, I chase .. I forget about the Ziti... Boils dry... burns the pot... no dinner tonight.. :(. Day 04 . Once again came home with the intent on fixing recipe. (remember no FAVORITE SAUCE) Cooked spiral whole wheat pasta, instead.. al dente, as it was going in oven...figured out I still have no stinking SAUCE>>>>instead find some pesto, layer like the recipe, add some additional olive oil, to insure it didn't burn, layered as recipe says.. added roasted red peppers, mushrooms, onions, and fresh garlic.. baked.. VOILA finally, dinner.. only took 4 days...:) can't wait to try the next one keep me in the loop. ha ha. P.S. When using pesto, I put it and my pasta in a ziplock bag and shake.. that way you don't brake the pasta, and it coats evenly. P,S.P.S.... Kenny said this am .. I liked that dish when are we going to have it again..?I really liked it. But I will go to the store time. XO kc
Internet is a cosmos of information; this article stands out among the rest, because of its content. This post is very interesting and you will get required information as a compact package. The writer has described in a brief and comprehensive way all the important aspects about the subject.
Hey...thanks for that. Great content. I'll be coming back shortly for more info. Thanks!
I find myself coming to your blog more and more often to the point where my visits are almost daily now!
After reading you site, Your site is very useful for me .I bookmarked your site!
great share, great article, very usefull for me...thank
you free game downloads
Good share,you article very great, very usefull for us...thank you
Thanks for posting! I really enjoyed the report. I've already bookmark
this article.
very well information you write it very clean. I'm very lucky to get this info from you.
great experience, dude! thanks for this great
Articles wow... it's very wonderful report.
Did anyone see Biography of Rachel Ray on CNBC? Itw as interesting.
great share, great article, very usefull for me...thank you
Nice article. Thank you for this info
Good article Thank you so much
Very good sharing this.
nice share, good article, very usefull for me...thanks
nice share, good
article, very usefull for me...thank you
Just stumbled upon your post and definitely will review other ones. Seems like seriously good stuff.
Howdy, your site is on air in the radio! Good job mate. Your posts are truly great and bookmarked. Regards
Incredibly educational blog post, I have added it to my delicious for later on. Appreciate it dude!
I recently came across your blog and have been reading along. I thought I would leave my first comment. I don’t know what to say except that I have enjoyed reading.Nice blog,I will keep visiting this blog very often.
Do you people have a facebook or twitter fan web page? I looked for for one on facebook but could not find it, I'd really like to become a fan!
I don’t usually reply to posts but I will in this case, great info…I will bookmark your site. Keep up the good work!
Learned your blog via yahoo the other day and absolutely think its great. Carry on the truly great work.
Thanks for that. We're having a little potluck party next month, kind of for Xmas I guess and I've been trying to find something unique.. found some good ideas at this potluck recipe site. You know, someone should invent a website where you can write what you'll be taking, and it would check no one is bringing the same thing!
They do have that if you use evites on line for your parties. The host can request dishes and guests can check off what they are bringing so everyone can see!