Mozzarella, Spinach, Penne Bake

Who doesn't love pasta smothered in cheese? This was a simple enough recipe, even if it looks like it takes a bazillion ingredients. Most of them are things you already have in your pantry. This would be a good recipe for a large family dinner or pot luck because it's pretty hearty and makes a lot. I doubled the recipe, to be safe, and it filled to overflowing a 9x13 pan.

• 1/2 yellow onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• 1 Tbs butter
• 1 pinch crushed red pepper
• 1 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 1 carton (26.46oz) Pomi chopped tomatoes
• 1/2 lb penne pasta, cooked
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella
• 1/4 cup whole wheat breadcrumbs
•  pinch of salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a medium skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat. Once the butter starts bubbling, add the onions. Saute until they start to soften, 5 minutes. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper and paprika. Saute another minute. Stir in the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper and simmer 5-10 minutes. Add in the cooked pasta and spinach. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

Pour mixture into a baking dish, sprinkle with cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake for 20 minutes. If the cheese isn't melted and started to bubble and brown, flip it to the broiler for a minute.

NOTES: I did not find the Pomi chopped tomatoes and so just used regular diced tomatoes. I'm thinking this would have been more flavorful if I used the Italian seasoned diced tomatoes. Maybe next time. Also, I shredded the spinach into smaller pieces. I bought baby spinach, but it was still pretty big pieces. I ripped it all up into bite-size pieces.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 20 min
Total Time: 40 min

Recipe from bevcooks.com