We love this baked ziti with spinach and artichokes. It’s easy and has the most amazing creaminess made with sour cream, pesto and mozzarella cheese.It’s so good.
Our Baked Ziti with Spinach and Artichokes is a mess classic baked ziti and: spinach artichoke dip. It’s super simple to make, and with that creamy layer of pesto and sour cream, it’s super delicious too.
I’m always game for baked pasta, and this ziti is really one of my favorites. It’s also really pretty on the table, so it works well for entertaining and holidays pasta recipes which strike the same tone are this bake vegetable pastaour easy lasagnaand my spinach mushroom lasagna.
Main ingredients:
- Pasta. Choose your favorite pasta such as ziti, penne, or rigatoni.
- Sauce. Use your favorite store-bought sauce or homemade.I love this lighter for homemade marinara sauce or this red pasta sauce.
- Spinach and artichoke. I use fresh baby spinach and canned artichokes. I especially like artichokes packed in oil because they have a little more flavor, but store-bought artichokes in water will do.
- Pesto and sour cream. You’ll mix them together to make our creamy pesto.Store-bought pesto is fine, but I love this homemade basil pesto if you’re ready to make it.I use the same creamy pesto sauce for mine baked spaghetti!
- Mozzarella. You can’t bake ziti without some cheese. Mozzarella is perfect, but any melted Italian cheese is fine.
How to make Spinach Artichoke Baked Ziti
This fun baked ziti with spinach is quick to put together. Start by cooking your pasta for 1-2 minutes.
When the pasta is cooked, drain it, but reserve some of the hot pasta water for later. The starchy pasta water helps the sauce stick to the pasta as it bakes in the oven.
From there, toss the pasta in a large bowl with the marinara sauce, fresh spinach, and artichokes. As you toss, the spinach will begin to wilt from the heat of the pasta.
Once everything is mixed, spoon about half of the pasta, spinach and artichokes into the baking dish, then add the creamy pesto layer.
The creamy pesto layer is my favorite part of this baked ziti recipe. It’s nice and easy to make by mixing the sour cream and pesto together. I add some mozzarella cheese and then top it with the remaining pasta, spinach and artichokes.
To make the baked pasta extra cheesy, I add mozzarella on top, then bake until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted. It’s absolutely delicious!
Spinach Artichoke Baked Ziti
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PREP
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Cook
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TOTALLY
Our baked ziti with spinach and artichokes only takes about 15 minutes of hands-on time. A layer of sour cream, pesto, and cheese is placed in the middle of the ziti, making it extra delicious. If you don’t have sour cream, substitute it with cream cheese, cottage cheese, or ricotta.
8 servings
You will need it
1 pound (450 g) dry pasta such as ziti, penne, or rigatoni
Salt to taste
1 (28-ounce) can marinara or spaghetti sauce, about 3 cups
1/4 cup (55 g) basil pesto
3/4 cup (170 g) sour cream
10 oz (280 g) fresh baby spinach
6 oz (170 g) can artichoke hearts, drained, chopped
1 ½ cups (170 g) mozzarella cheese, shredded
Directions:
1:Heat the oven until 350°F (177°C) Butter or lightly grease a 3-quart baking dish or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2:Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook according to package directions, but cook for 1 to 2 minutes less than package calls for. Reserve 1/4 cup pasta water, then drain.
3:While the pasta is cooking, heat the marinara sauce in a saucepan over medium heat.
4:In a small bowl, whisk together the basil pesto and sour cream until well combined.
5:00Add the cooked pasta to a large bowl with the spinach, artichoke reheated marinara, and reserved pasta water. Toss until spinach is wilted and everything is well combined.
6:00Pour half of the pasta into the baking dish. Spread the sour cream and pesto mixture over the pasta and sprinkle with half of the mozzarella cheese.
7:00Top with the remaining pasta, press everything lightly into the baking dish, then scatter the remaining mozzarella cheese over the top.
8 o’clockPlace baking sheet on baking sheet (just in case any sauce drips down sides of baking sheet).Bake until cheese is melted and sauce is bubbly, about 30 minutes.Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
Advice from Adam and Joan
- Storage. Baked ziti can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Or, wrap well with foil (we use two layers) and freeze for up to 3 months. Refrigerate the frozen pasta overnight and bake at 400°F for about 1 hour.
- Go ahead. You can freeze unbaked ziti. Cover the assembled but unbaked pasta and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When covering, use parchment paper between the pasta and the aluminum foil.The aluminum foil can react with the tomatoes.
- The nutrition facts below are estimates.
Nutrition per serving
Serving size
1/8 of the recipe
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Calories
457
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Total fat
13.3 g
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Saturated fats
4.9 g
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Cholesterol
23.3 mg
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Sodium
893 mg
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Carbohydrate
62.1 g
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Dietary fiber
9.6 g
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Total sugars
8 g
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Proteins
25.2 g
