OK - following up; I acquired the misbegotten spinach and made the dish tonight. It came out wonderfully - really tasty, creamy and cheesy with a great tomato flavor. I discovered that I don't have a baking/casserole dish big enough for it so had to bake it in a stainless steel soup pot - not ideal but not a serious problem; just seems to take a bit longer to cook through. I think this will have a definite spot in my winter rotation. Next time I'll probably increase the oven temperature a bit and leave it in a bit longer to try to make the pasta/cheese on top crispy. I was too impatient and hungry tonight to wait for that!

It was also a nice project to take my mind off the world for a while, which is definitely something I need these days.