Florentine Spaghetti Bake

Think of this as a halfway point between baked spaghetti and lasagna: cooked spaghetti takes the place of pasta sheets, and a quick spinach-and-cottage cheese mixture stands in for the ricotta filling. The result is a casserole that hits all the comfort notes of lasagna with about half the work.

Cottage cheese in place of ricotta is the budget-smart move that’s been quietly running in church-cookbook lasagnas for decades. The texture is slightly looser and tangier, but once it bakes with the egg binder it sets into a creamy, sliceable layer that holds up cleanly when scooped.

Italian sausage carries most of the seasoning, so the simmered sauce stays simple: tomato sauce, basil, oregano, seasoned salt, and the rendered fat from the meat. Twenty minutes of simmer is enough to marry the flavors without breaking down the sausage.

The layering order matters: a thin schmear of meat sauce on the pan bottom prevents the spaghetti from sticking and gives the noodles flavor as they bake.

Pro Tips

• Squeeze frozen spinach bone-dry between paper towels or a clean dish cloth. Wet spinach waters down the cheese filling and makes the bake soggy.
• Cook the spaghetti one minute shy of al dente. It finishes cooking in the casserole and overcooked noodles turn mushy.
• Cover the pan with foil for the full 40 minutes to lock in steam, then uncover for the last 10 if you want a browner top.
• The 5-minute rest after baking is essential. Cut into it hot and the layers slide; let it set and you get clean slices.

Variations

• Use ricotta instead of cottage cheese for a richer, more traditional filling.
• Swap Italian sausage for ground beef or turkey, with extra Italian seasoning to compensate.
• Add sliced mushrooms or chopped artichoke hearts to the spinach mixture for extra vegetables.