An interesting twist on an age old favorite. Use your favorite shaped pasta - bow ties, shells, penne, etc...Can be assembled ahead of time and refrigerated, but allow extra time for baking.
The original recipe can be found on the Taste of Home website--it was one of those "how I got my kid to eat....." recipes (spinach was the secret ingredient). The original calls for 2 cups of cheddar cheese and 1-1/2 cups of mozzarella. Use lots of fresh baby spinach (steamed lightly) instead of frozen. Use fusilla (spiral) pasta. Olive oil is not necessary. This is a great make-ahead recipe, and freezes well.
Read MoreI thought this sounded like a really great recipe-then I made it for dinner. I ended up not serving it because it tasted so bad.
Read MoreThe original recipe can be found on the Taste of Home website--it was one of those "how I got my kid to eat....." recipes (spinach was the secret ingredient). The original calls for 2 cups of cheddar cheese and 1-1/2 cups of mozzarella. Use lots of fresh baby spinach (steamed lightly) instead of frozen. Use fusilla (spiral) pasta. Olive oil is not necessary. This is a great make-ahead recipe, and freezes well.
Delicious! It made exactly two 6"x8" dishes. I baked one of them for 25 minutes at 350 and it was perfect. Really, really good. The one thing is that I think the quantity of spaghetti sauce at 16 ounces is a mistake. I looked and looked at the grocery store but I didn't find any 16 oz jars, only 26 oz jars... that and the complaints from other users that this dish was dry leads me to believe the author meant 26 oz not 16. So I used a whole 26 oz jar of spaghetti sauce and it was perfect, not too saucey and not dry at all. Just right. I froze the other 6x8" dish and will reheat it for dinner in a few weeks. My husband, who is not a very big pasta fan, thought it was delicious.
This recipe was delicious. I made it for my husband and daughter who dislike spinach and they ate it up. My in-laws came out the next day and the leftovers were gobbled up in seconds. Next time I think I will use ricotta cheese instead of mozzerella as it will add better flavor and add more moisture to the noodles during re-heating. The only bad thing about this recipe is that is really dirties a lot of dishes. Next time, I will simply defrost the spinach instead of cooking it and I will go ahead and mix it together with the eggs, cheese and oil right in the baking dish. Very good stuff, this will become a weekly meal in our house and the leftovers make good lunches.
This is very good. It is almost the exact same as a recipe my mother made as a child. I only give this four stars because I don't think it's QUITE as good as my childhood favorite. I will post her recipe here as well.
is there any way i could rate it for more than 5 stars? i'm 15, i made this recipe and my family loved it. It's definately a KEEPER!
This was perfect for me to clean out my freezer and use on hand ingredients to keep my budget down this week. I cut the pasta down to a cup and a half, I used ground turkey, and I increased the onion to a whole onion and the garlic to four or so cloves. I did spice up the sauce with more spice (italian seasoning, onion/garlic powder, fresh ground pepper and a glug of red wine). I did add a little fresh grated parmesan to the spinach/pasta layer. I spread a little extra shredded mozzerella over the top along with fresh grated parmesan. This was very easy and really makes quite a bit. I appreciate that as this is going to be lunch for my husband for a couple days, too. We all enjoyed this quite a bit and I loved that it's easily bendable to use healthier/organic ingredients and whatever you have on hand to pull it together and make it your own.
This recipe is 5*'s with a little tweaking. I used: # 16 ounces Whole Wheat pasta # 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach # 1/2 cup bread crumbs # 2 eggs, beaten # 1/2 cup ricotta cheese # 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese # 1 pound lean ground beef # 1 chopped vidalia onion # 4-5 cloves garlic, minced # 1 (26 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce I followed the instructions, and then sprinkled a little more mozzarella cheese on top before cooking, covered, in the oven. It was very good...and I am quite picky and hate spinach. I will def. make this again (and again, and again) :D
Other reviewers were right. This pasta dish would have been WAY too dry had I not used a 26oz jar of spaghetti sauce instead of the 16oz. Even with that change, it still could have used a little more sauce to get some moisture down into the pasta layer. Or maybe it needs to be 4 alternate layers to distribute a little more evenly. I used a combination of mozzarella & cheddar, but otherwise stuck to the recipe. Definite changes next time to get a better dish. It has potential! Thanks for the decent start. Will give it another try.
Surprisingly delicious! I did not cook the spinach separately- I simply put the defrosted spinach straight out of the package in the bottom of my colander and then dumped the cooked pasta over the top. I did mix in about a cup of cottage cheese inwith the pasta-spinach mixture, and seasoned with some garlic powder and Italian herbs. I put fresh basil in my sauce towrds the end, as well as a pinch of red pepper flakes. My son gobbled this down, saying it was almost as good as homemade lasagna, and not nearly the work. Thanks for sharing Amy!!
Inside Out Ravioli Haiku: "Oh my, this was good! A great make-in-advance meal. Needs some seasoning." I made this as a "dry-run" for a friend who's about to have her baby (as a possible entree to take over to her once she's come home from the hospital and doesn't want to cook), and we liked it alot, so I'll definitely make it for my chum. When I go to make it for her, I plan on adding some additional herbs/spices (basil, thyme, oregano) and suggesting that she top it with extra cheese half-way thru the baking time. The only changes that I'd made were to use more spaghetti sauce and slightly less pasta, as well as a bag of fresh baby spinach instead of frozen, but the end result was super-tasty and very filling.
I loved this recipe. When I started out I thought there would be too much of everything, but it worked out perfect. My two-year-old ate two bowls of the sauce. I will definitly make this again.
I thought this sounded like a really great recipe-then I made it for dinner. I ended up not serving it because it tasted so bad.
Some revisions, but a hit. I had fresh spinach, but not enough, so I also grated a small zucchini. Then I used half the mozzarella and added 2 oz cream cheese, about 1/3 c cottage cheese and a small amount of parmesan. 1 24oz jar of sauce was enough, upped the garlic to about 4 and I topped with the other half of mozzarella. Just under 30 @350. Husband and both kids, 2 & 4, loved it!
Everyone thought this was good. The kids ate it without hesitation. I skipped the oil and it wasn't missed. I added 1/2 cup of wine and some oragano & basil. I used the small shell pasta. I thought I would make this in a jiff but it took more like an hour + extra dishes. It wasn't very cheesy, I think I'll add more cheese next time, maybe some ricotta too.
I'm going to leave out the meat the next time I make it. It was too heavy for me. My husband loved it though.
I thought this dish was great with a few alterations. First I added three extra cloves of garlic for better flavor. I doubled the amount of tomato sauce and tomato paste, I thought that would help keep the dish moist as some reviewers complained about it being too dry. I added 8 oz. of ricotta cheese to the pasta mixture and topped the dish with extra mozzarella cheese. I followed another reviewer's advice and added my spinach to the water boiling the pasta three minutes before the pasta was done. My family and guests enjoyed the meal.
I thought this was too much work for a not-that-great result. Tasted fine, but not for all the work and dirty bowls/pans that went into it.
This was good and filling, did not change a thing but boy does it make a lot good for feeding a large family thanks for sharing will be making again.
I have been making this recipe for years. However I use sharp cheddar cheese. I've made it with mozzarella and it just tastes better with cheddar. I do most of the cooking at my church and this is one of the most requested dishes. For everyone who said something was missing try it with sharp cheddar.
This was okay. Alas! I was out of spinach (I walked into the grocery store with it on my list but apparently I walked out without purchasing some), so I used half a bag of frozen, chopped broccoli (thawed). We found the noodles to be on the dry side so if there is a next time, I'll increase the pasta sauce. Otherwise, the taste wasn't bad but dry noodles can really damage a potentially good meal. I might try this again.
I originally found this recipe in a Better Homes & Gardens cookbook and made it about 25 years ago. It is a winner with my family. I recommended this to a friend whose kids didn't like spinach and they even loved it.
This sounded SO good and smelled SO good when it was cooking, but it turned out rather dry and not very flavorful. Then I realized when printing the recipe out in 3x5 format the SPAGHETTI SAUCE is listed below the fold on the ingredient list. So don't make the same mistake we did and miss it! Will re-make it w/ the correct amount of sauce and re-rate the recipe!
Okay, this was pretty easy and pretty yummy. My changes were: One jar of 24 or 26 oz sauce, whatever the size is, & no tomato sauce or paste. After I combined the spinach and pasta, I added about 1/4 jar of double cheddar, and I forgot to add moz cheese at this point. So after I spread out the spinach/pasta mixture, I then topped it with some Italian Blend Cheese. Then I added the beef mix, and it just didnt look like enough so I added another jar of sauce. Then I topped with more cheese, and hit that with a little s&p. Will def. make this again.
I am not a cook and this was very easy for how complicated it sounded to me. I served it to four adults and there was only left over for two left. Everyone was going back for more. I used tomato puree instead of a jar of tomato sauce because I forgot all about it, but it was surprisingly really good and it didn't need more seasoning at all. And I added extra mozzarella cheese on the top. My husband likes lots of cheese in everything.
The whole family really enjoyed this meal. Simple, delicious, and looking forward to having this again in the future.
Great recipe, a real crown pleaser! Even for those picky eaters because they don't know they are eating spinach! I gave this recipe to a friend and she makes it weekly.
I really liked this pasta casserole. Even my daughter, who doesn't like spinach, said it was great!
this is a great and fast recipe!!
This has been a family favorite since the 60's. Not gourmet but soul satisfying, budget friendly comfort food. Perfect for school pot lucks and family reunions. Janet Port Orchard, WA
I loved this! I followed the recipe, except I added 1 cup of cottage cheese. This made 4 huge meals for my husband and I. The next time I make it, I will freeze half of it. This is one that you need to try!
I cook for 10 everynight, and this was something that everyone loved. The only thing I would change next time, is the sauce. Like other posters, I thought it was too thick. For variation next time, I will also use ricotta cheese in one of the pans instead of mozzarella. Thanks for a great recipe!
My husband liked this but I thought it was a little strange. The noodles were a little too mushy for me.
i added 2lb of ricotta beaten with 1 egg parsley and salt and pepper ilayered it on top of noddle mix then meat mix on top i also added 1 more can of tomatoe sause gave it to family they loved it son cooks for italion restaurant he tried it there top rated everywhere easy to do and so good to taste sort of like all good food in one we served a green salad and garlik bread who could ask for more?
I've had a couple of these recipies, and by far, inside-out #1 with Marmarl's adaptations is the best! I've only increased the spinich.. and actually find this will feed at least 10... absolutely excellent!
We thought this was great... a great way to hide spinach. I used a 1 lb 10 oz jar of pasta sauce + tomato sauce and tomato paste. Boiled the spinach and pasta together. Then mixed step 4 in the baking dish. I also topped with a little cheese I had left-over, but it would be fine without. I thought it was pretty quick and easy. MMmmmm.
This dish was too bland and dry for my taste. I agree with JANDAL that this took too much time for what it produced.
This recipe was very good. I followed other people's advice and used a 26 ounce jar of good quality sauce. I usually make my own. Instead of ground beef, I used one pound of sweet sausage, casings removed. For the spinach, I defrosted a large bag of chopped frozen spinach, wrung out, uncooked. And last, I added 3/4 of a 2 lb. container of ricotta cheese. I would make this again.
Delicious! My only complaint is that it was a little dry (sauce is very thick); but it's nothing a little sauce served on the side at the table wouldn't fix!
I wasn't sure what to expect based on the reviews but gave this recipe a try anyway. End result was really yummy. I did use less pasta and some mixed dry herbs based on other suggestions. I also used gluten free pasta and it worked just fine. The pasta soaks up the sauce as you bake it, so if you make the sauce soupy before you set it into the oven it won't be as dry.
Really really really really good recipe. I didn't do the spinach because I can't handle it but the rest was perfect :)
Loved it! Changed a few things to tailor it to my needs (and what I already had on hand). Didn't need anything changed, I'm sure. I added cream cheese to the spinach mixture as well as chopped fresh broccoli. Used extra sauce because I had it and tend to dry out my baked pastas. Used 1 jar marinara, 1 jar spaghetti sauce and 1 can of seasoned, diced tomatoes. Turned out great and Husband loved it too. He was expecting "just spaghetti" so I surprised and impressed with this recipe. I suggest trying it! It won't disappoint!
This recipe has good potential if you add a few things. I tripled the garlic, added more onion, added S&P and added about 2-3 cups of ricotta, otherwise it's not cheesy enough and top it off with Parmesan cheese. And I also took liberty with the diced tomatoes and sauce and added or subtracted as needed and used pre-flavored varieties for more kick. I'm going to try it with sausage instead of ground beef and see how it goes.
I reduce this to 4 servings and used elbow noodles. Everyone liked it, but it wasn't great. Something was definately missing from this recipe, I'm not sure what it was. Maybe there was too many noodles. I will probably make this during the cooler-weather months, and will probably add lots more cheese!
This was okay. Alas! I was out of spinach (I walked into the grocery store with it on my list but apparently I walked out without purchasing some), so I used half a bag of frozen, chopped broccoli (thawed). We found the noodles to be on the dry side so if there is a next time, I'll increase the pasta sauce. Otherwise, the taste wasn't bad but dry noodles can really damage a potentially good meal. I might try this again.
this was sort of like a funny looking/tasting lasagna. It was not to our liking.
I added Italian seasoning, more garlic, a layer of ricotta, and extra cheese but it was just too dry; definitely needs more spaghetti sauce than listed. I much prefer the Baked Ziti recipe from Colleen Smith found on this site.
I was a little skeptical of this one, at first it sounded like a "clean out the fridge" dinner,but we were amazed at how great this came out. I think the spinach and breadcrumbs really made it more special. I didn't have any mozzarella, but I did have parmesan, romano, some ricotta and Italian blend that I used instead (talk about cleaning out the fridge!) Leftovers were great, too. Thanks!
We loved it! I did make changes per reviews. Defrost spinach in microwave, did not cook but drain. Use 4-5 cloves minced garlic and 1 large onion when browning meat. Use 26 oz pasta sauce. Add 1 c cottage cheese to spinach mixture w/1/4 tsp garlic, pepper salt. Use 1-11/2 c mozzarella cheese in spinach mix. After baking covered for 20 minutes sprinkle w/1 c mozzarella cheese and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes. Makes a lot but very good as leftovers.
This recipe is kind of confusing and unnecessary. It is not as good as lasagna, not as easy as spaghetti.
I doubled the recipe, left out the olive oil and used ricotta cheese and shredded mozzarella, also I did not use the tomato paste, I just used two jars of pasta sauce. This was so good and so easy to make. Even my two youngest kids, who currently have strep and the flu right now and have no appetite, enjoyed this! I will be making it again. Oh and I did what another review did- I did not cook the spinach, I let it thaw and mixed it in. Delicious!
This casserole was delicious! I followed the advice of some of the others and added a layer of ricotta cheese and added more sauce and garlic. The olive oil and breadcrumbs really give the pasta a much more noticeable flavor. Next time, I will half the recipe-- this feeds an army!!
I made the recipe as stated, but incorporated the recommendations of other reviewers...I added about 8 oz. of ricotta cheese to the pasta mixture and then topped the pasta mixture with a separate layer of 7 oz. of ricotta cheese mixed with one (of the two) beaten eggs, and some parsley, garlic salt and pepper. I also added an extra garlic clove, two tsp. of Creole seasoning and half a tsp. of seasoning salt to the meat/tomato mixture. Without the ricotta cheese and extra seasonings, I don't think this recipe would be all that great. It was good, but not as good as another pasta/spinach recipe that I have.
This was yummy!! A new family favorite!! I used vegetable pasta to reduce the cards, added Italian sausage for flavor, and sautéed spinach to add vitamins. It was lovely!!
Very easy and VERY GOOD
loved loved it, would add more spinach but was very good the way the recipe was
I guess I wanted it to be more like lasagne. I feel like it needed more creaminess... maybe some ricotta or cream cheese mixed in with the pasta. It was a good, clean out the fridge dinner.
Simple and delicious. My husband and I really enjoyed this recipe! I did use a full large jar of spaghetti sauce it was just perfect not too runny!
Very tasty. A very nice all in one casserole dish. Be careful not to let it dry out. I cut the recipe in half because its was for just two. I added more spag sauce then called for and mine came out just a hair above being to dry. So when I make this again I will add more sauce . And I also seasoned it to taste when cooking. I also think this helped a lot and the recipe did not call for that.
I have been making this recipe for at least 25 years. I don't use oil, as it is oily enough without it, or the tomato paste. I also use shredded cheddar cheese instead of the mozzerella. The cheddar gives it a nice taste. I use more than a pound of the ground meat. Like the additional meat. I make this and take to any group meal I attend. Always had rave comments. Easy good tasting meal. Freezes wonderfully! Make the full recipe, but put in 2 containers and feeze one for later.
Awesome recipe. Friends and family really enjoyed this recipe. Would be great recipe to cook for a firefighter meal. However would only feed 3-4 firefighters. Great comfort food and easy to make. Would only cook for 25 minutes, instead of 30 minutes.
Followed recipe EXACTLY as written and my family of 6 LOVED this recipe!! wouldn't change anything. Thank you for this delicious recipe!
Disappointingly bland, given the ingredients. It needs to be heavily doctored up in order to be more palatable. Therefore, the recipe as it is written is a failure.
My husband loved this recipe and I will make it again. I wasn't crazy about it either were my kids.
This was really good and very simple. I think next time I may add some herbs/spices to the meat mixture and more cheese on top, but it's enjoyable as written also.
This is really good. I would add another 1/2 lb. of ground beef to it. My husband and my son really liked this.
I used bow tie pasta and it was great! I substituted a large Prego with mushroom sauce for the paste, sauce and tomato’s. Also , I used a cup of shredded Mexican cheese instead of cheddar, and added some Parmesan on top. Mmmm good!
This is recipe is just ok as written - I think with some modifications it could be a lot better.
I LOVE this recipe!!
I really like this recipe. I always wonder why people rate recipes they change, but I'm going to do just that. I used chicken instead of beef, because I think chicken and spinach go so well together. I also doubled bread crumbs and eggs. I caramalized the onions and added a few mushrooms, before I added all the tomato sauces. All and all a great cheap meal that my friends loves as much as I did.
Awesome but I improvised. No chili sauce so I used pasta sauce and chili powder, and Magi instead of Worcestershire.
Really yummy!I made it meatless with a 26oz jar of pasta sauce and 8 oz can of tomato paste and the pasta was perfect. My kids did not gag or complain about it- a resounding endorsement coming from them!
Makes A LOT of food. Loved it. I never cooked the frozen spinich and it was fine. I used ground sausage (because I had it...it turned out SOO GOOD with it) and more garlic and cheese. I agree with some people who say use cheddar as well. I used Mozza and shredded marble cheddar. Probably almost 2 cups as I spinkled bread crumbs and shredded cheese (and parmesan) on top. Love it and heated up great the next day for lunch. More like a lazy mans lasagna than ravioli but soo good.
This is delicious. Everyone loved it. Leftovers freeze well. I added Romano cheese on top before baking.
This was a nice casserole because it made enough to feed a big family. I also liked that it had spinach (healthy!) and used ground beef - because I am always looking for new ways to use up hamburger. I added a little mozzarella and Parmesan cheese on the top, too.
This was nice but from some of the reviews I thought it would be great. I used ricotta instead of mozzarella and added more pasta sauce. It is very rich and quite heavy, but thanks for the recipe.
Yes, it was good, but it came out a little too thick. I added some more spaghetti sauce and that worked fine
I found this recipe very quick and easy to assemble. It is very heavy, but it was a nice change of pace and a good way to incorporate spinach. I made it for my whole family, and my sister absolutely loved it!
I was dissapointed in how this came out. I love riccota so I used that, made my own home made sauce and used shell pasta, but something just didn't taste right. I think the 2 beaten eggs may have ruined the consistency of the riccota. It looked delicious, and my boyfriend thought it was ok, but it was not my fav.
This dish is very easy and tasty, but missing something. I followed some of the other reviewer’s suggestions by adding more garlic and spices… but I wish I would have added some ricotta as well. I did double the mozzarella cheese (1 c in the cooked pasta/spinach mixture and 1 c sprinkled over the top towards the end of baking.) The husband loved this dish, but I think I’ll experiment a bit more the next time I make it. Thanks, Amy, for the good recipe!
Wonderful! I can see making it with zucchini instead of beef for a healthier option. Two year old grandson is a BIG fan
