Baked Farfalle Florentine

This weekend, JJ had to work 7am-10pm both days. Being the lovely wife I am, I brought lunch and dinner up to him both days (I also wanted to see him). He's the camp manager at the schools, and this weekend was men's basketball. Now, many people won't care, but we ate out meals in a press box in Assembly Hall both days!
For one night's dinner, I decided to make him baked ziti - but not really. Baked ziti is a perfect meal to bring to a pot luck or to give to someone who is sick or just had a baby, it freezes well, bakes off well, and is very easy to transport! I baked it off, packed up the casserole dish in a heat pack, and it tasted great!
I'm always trying to find ways to get more veggies in, so I made this florentine by adding a box of frozen chopped spinach. I also use lots of veggies in my marinara. You could easily add meatballs or sliced sausage to make this a full meal. We like ours extra saucy, if you plan to bake it longer or it's going to sit, make it extra saucy!

Baked Farfalle Florentine

1/2 lb. Farfalle or any other shot cut pasta
2 c. marinara (homemade or jarred)
1 c. part skim ricotta
1 box defrosted, drained spinach
1/2 c. mozzarella cheese, shredded
1/2 c. parmesan cheese, shredded
Chopped fresh herbs of choice (oregano, basil, parsley)
Crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and Pepper


Bring a large pot of water to a boil, drop in pasta and cook to al dente.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Drain the pasta, pour back into the pot. Add the sauce, ricotta, half the cheeses, herbs, red pepper, salt and pepper. Taste for seasonings. Pour into casserole, top with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 30+ minutes.