Creamy Pesto Baked Ziti

photo by:kraft

This was delish! I do think it would be even better with hamburger not turkey sausage. I also did not have the cooking crème on hand so I used 8 oz. of cream cheese. I also...read more

posted by

SCLAWSON1975

on 3/26/2013

time

prep:

20 min

total:

40 min

servings

total:

8 servings, 1-1/2 cups each

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What You Need

pkg. (16 oz.) ziti pasta

Tbsp. olive oil

3/4

lb. Italian turkey sausage (about 3 links), casings removed

onion, chopped

cloves garlic, chopped

can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes, undrained

1/3

cup pesto

tub (10 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Original Cooking Creme

bag (5 oz.) baby spinach leaves

pkg. (8 oz.) KRAFT Shredded Mozzarella Cheese with a TOUCH OF PHILADELPHIA, divided

1/2

cup KRAFT Grated Parmesan Cheese

Make It

HEAT oven to 375ºF.

BRING large pot of water to boil over high heat. Add ziti and cook until al dente.

MEANWHILE, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until browned, using the back of a wooden spoon to break up sausage. Add onion and garlic and saute until tender. Stir in tomatoes and pesto. Simmer 10 min. Stir in cooking creme.

DRAIN pasta; return to pot. Add spinach, meat sauce and 1-1/2 cups mozzarella cheese and stir to combine. Spoon into 3-qt. baking dish. Top with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella and Parmesan.

BAKE until completely heated through and golden on top, about 20 min.

Kraft Kitchens Tips

Serving Suggestion

Serve with a cold glass of prepared CRYSTAL LIGHT Peach Tea.

Make Ahead

Prepare the sauce the night before so all you need to do is cook the pasta, assemble and bake off the morning of the game.

Substitute

Prepare using KRAFT Shredded Low-Moisture Part-Skim Mozzarella Cheese.

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miaandalex

posted:9/9/2011

My friend brought this to a pot-luck baby shower and it was a huge hit! It was very creamy, and the pesto flavor was perfect. It traveled really well, and served a crowd.

alexandria.vela

posted:8/15/2011

Great to entertain guests with! So many flavors! Def would use for Italian Sausage the next time I make it.

tracym2303

posted:7/12/2011

My husband and I loved this dish. The only thing I did different was I used cubed chicken breasts with some seasoning instead of the sausage because I'm not a fan of sausage. It makes a TON of food, so I baked 1/2 of it off and saved 1/2 to freeze.