baked ziti

Tonight we had friends over for dinner and I made baked ziti.  I love this recipe, it’s so easy and delicious!  I originally got the recipe here.

ingredients (it also calls for 2 egg whites but I forgot to get them in the picture)

cook your pasta; I usually use whole wheat pasta but we got this veggie pasta on a super good sale (read: free) so I used it tonight

mix ricotta cheese, 2 egg whites, and all the mozzarella cheese except one cup

add your spices (salt, pepper, garlic, crushed red pepper)

mix in the cooked pasta

pour a little sauce in the bottom of the pan, then add half the cheese/pasta mix, add more sauce, the rest of the cheese/pasta, and the rest of the sauce

top with the rest of the mozzarella cheese (the actual recipe calls for adding some parmesan on the top as well but I never do that)

cover with foil and bake at 450 for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for 10 more minutes

I meant to take a picture of it all pretty right out of the oven, but we got too excited to eat and I forgot… I also think it looks much more appetizing when I use regular pasta, that green pasta just looks a little weird.  Tastes good, though!

Official recipe:

Olive oil spray
1 (14 1/2-ounce) box fiber-enriched ziti or penne rigate (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste)
1 (15-ounce) container fat-free ricotta cheese
2 large egg whites
8 ounces (4 cups) finely shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
3 1/2 cups low-fat, low-sodium, marinara sauce
2 tablespoons grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly mist a 13″ x 9″ x 2″ ceramic or glass baking dish with the olive oil spray.  Cook the ziti according to package directions until al dente. Drain.  In a large mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, egg whites, and all but 1 cup of the mozzarella until well combined. Add the garlic powder and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the cooked pasta until well combined.  Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the prepared dish.  Add half of the pasta in an even layer over the sauce.  Layer the remaining pasta over the sauce. Spoon the remaining 1 1/2 cups sauce evenly over the top of the pasta, then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan over the top.  Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes longer, or until the mozzarella is melted. Let stand 5 minutes.

My nutritional facts:

Using whole wheat pasta, low fat ricotta, low fat mozzarella cheese, no parmesan, and dividing the dish into 12 servings makes each serving 235 calories.

Enjoy!