Easy Spinach & Tomato Penne Bake

Now that I am finally getting into a rhythm with having a baby around, I've had a lot a little more time to plan and prepare meals for Ryan and I through the week.

Almost all of the meals I try come from Pinterest. I love that I can do a simple search for a type of dish and thousands of results pour in from various websites and blogs across the web.

I select most of the recipes I make based on three things: finished product photo, number of ingredients and time involved (usually in that order). So yeah, I guess that makes me a pretty lazy cook. I like to think practical.

Anyway, I'm not usually one to crave pasta, but since Ryan loves it, and since pasta is typically a pretty quick and easy dish to prepare, I chose this one from Pinterest-- Penne Bake w/ spinach and tomatoes.

I wish I would have taken a pic of my actual finished meal, but I'm here to tell you that it really did look pretty much dead on the photo that convinced me to try it out in the first place and that rarely happens for me.

Here's the recipe (with a few modifications I made along the way)

* 1/2 yellow onion, diced

* 3 garlic cloves, minced

* 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

* 1 Tbs. butter

* 1 pinch crushed red pepper

* 1 Tbs smoked paprika

* 1 (26 oz) can diced tomatoes

* 1/2 pound penne pasta, cooked

* 4 cups baby spinach

* 3 cups shredded mozzarella

* 1/2 cup breadcrumbs

* pinch of salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400.

In a medium skillet, heat the oil and butter over medium-high. Add onions and saute for about 5 minutes until they start to soften. Add the garlic, crushed red pepper and paprika. Saute another minute. Stir in the tomatoes, season with salt and pepper, and simmer 5 to 10 minutes.

Add in the cooked pasta and spinach. Stir to combine. 

Pour mixture into a baking dish, sprinkle with cheese and breadcrumbs. (See suggestion below for sprinkling cheese and breadcrumbs in layers rather than just on top for even more cheesy goodness). 

Bake for about 20 minutes or until brown. 

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Next time I make this dish the only thing I'll change is how I layer the bread crumbs and cheese. The recipe says to add both on top before putting it in the oven, but I think layering it on top of the noodles throughout would be even tastier.  I might try adding some italian sausage as well.

It made about 4 servings which was great because Ryan was able to take some for lunch.

Serve with some Texas toast or a nice salad from your leftover baby spinach-- and enjoy!