Easy Sausage Baked Pasta with Ricotta

If baked ziti had a love child with lasagna, this sausage baked pasta would be it. Penne pasta is tossed in a sausage-laced tomato sauce with spinach, then is baked with dollops of creamy ricotta and mozzarella. It's bubbly and cheesy, and best of all, it's a cinch to make. The easy meal gets assembled and baked in a single skillet!

This one pot baked pasta with sausage is one of the most requested dinners in my house. It's the perfect back-pocket recipe for a busy weeknight, and you're not going to believe how easy it is to make using simple ingredients.

• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 pound fresh Italian sausage (about 4 links), removed from the casings
• 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 5 ounces baby spinach
• 1 24- ounce jar marinara sauce
• 12 ounces penne pasta
• 1 cup fresh ricotta cheese
• 4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese, divided, plus more for serving
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped basil, plus more for serving
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese