Ziti with Tomatoes and Spinach in the Crock Pot

A few years ago a friend of mine brought this dish to our Bible study for dinner. I've posted the recipe before and it's one of our favorites. But when I went to make it tonight, I decided to see if it would work in the slow cooker. Oh, heavens, YES! Now we can have this during the dog days of summer.

I did change the ingredients and the process a bit from the original recipe and I think it is better this way, but certainly use the canned tomatoes and frozen spinach -- it still good that way!

Crock Pot Ziti with Tomatoes and Spinach
3 cups cooked pasta (it calls for ziti, I used rotini tonight)
3/4 pound hot Italian sausage, casing removed
1/2 cup chopped onion
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 large tomato, chopped (about 1 cup)
3-4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/4 cup pesto
1 cup mozzerella cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese

In a medium to large pot, saute onions, garlic and sausage breaking up sausage as it cooks, 5-10 minutes. Once sausage is cooked through, add tomato and cooking until thickened, about 10 minutes. Add in pesto and stir to combine. Remove from heat. Add in spinach and stir to wilt spinach. Add in mozzarella cheese and 1/3 cup Parmesan. Put pasta in to crock of slow cooker. Add sauce from pot and stir well to combine. Sprinkle 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese on top. Cover and cook on low for 2-3 hours. Add remaining Parmesan cheese and cover. Cook until cheese melts. Serve.