Baked Ziti Primavera

Ingredients

• 1 pound ready-peeled baby carrots 
• 6 ounce baby spinach leaves 
• 8 ounce button mushrooms diced
• 28 ounce canned tomatoes diced drained canned
• 1.5 tablespoons garlic minced
• 24 servings salt and ground pepper black to taste
• 8 ounce cheese blend shredded italian
• 2 tablespoons penzey's southwest seasoning italian
• 2 tablespoons olive oil 
• 6 ounce portobello mushroom caps diced
• 15 ounce ricotta cheese 
• 48 ounce spaghetti sauce 
• 32 ounce ziti 
• 3 small zucchini diced

Equipment

• food processor
• bowl
• frying pan
• oven
• whisk
• pot
• roasting pan
• aluminum foil
• colander

Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the ziti, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 8 minutes.
3. Drain well in a colander set in the sink. Rinse with cold water to stop the cooking process.
4. Transfer to a large roasting pan.
5. Whisk together 1 jar of spaghetti sauce and the ricotta cheese in a large bowl.
6. Add to the pasta and stir.
7. Place the spinach in the bowl of a food processor; blend until finely chopped; remove and set aside. Then place the carrots in the food processor and process until finely chopped.
8. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the chopped carrots in the hot oil until they begin to soften, about 2 minutes. Stir in the zucchini, portobello mushrooms, button mushrooms, and garlic; cook and stir until the zucchini is soft, about 4 minutes.
9. Remove from heat and stir in the chopped spinach, tomatoes, and 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning; drain.
10. Add to the ziti and mix.
11. Sprinkle about 1/2 the bag of the Italian cheese blend over the pasta and stir through.
12. Pour in the 3 remaining jars of spaghetti sauce; stir until the pasta and vegetables are evenly coated. Season with 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper; mix. Cover the pan with aluminum foil.
13. Bake in the preheated oven until completely heated through, 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
14. Remove the foil and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the dish. Return dish to oven and bake until the cheese melts and begins to brown, about 10 minutes more.