Monday, September 10, 2012

Baked Ziti with Summer Vegetables

Summer veggies are still abundant around here and this ziti from my friend & fellow Spartan, Alissa, was the perfect way to dress up the veggies. 

The sauce on the ziti is incredibly light – made up of ricotta cheese & herbs.  This allowed the flavor of the veggies to shine right through.  We’ll make this one again!

Baked Ziti with Summer Vegetables – Adapted from 33 Shades of Green

Ingredients

  • 6 oz. uncooked whole wheat penne
  • 3 C any combination of zucchini & eggplant
  • 1 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 medium bell pepper, diced
  • 1 T dried minced onion
  • 1 tsp. dried minced garlic
  • 2 C diced tomato
  • 1 tsp. basil
  • 1 tsp. oregano
  • 1/2 tsp. salt (divided)
  • 1/8 tsp. pepper
  • 1/2 C ricotta cheese
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/2 tsp. parsley
  • 3/4 C shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions

Begin by sautéing the quartered zucchini, summer squash and eggplant in a large skillet with 1 tsp. olive oil.  Season with 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/8 tsp. pepper. 

Meanwhile, boil the pasta according to package directions. 

Add in the red pepper to the sautéing veggies.  Continue sautéing for 5 minutes until veggies begin to become tender. 

Add in the minced onion, garlic and basil and oregano. 

Continue cooking for 5 minutes until veggies are done to your liking.  Add in the tomatoes and heat for 1-2 minutes. 

Then, remove from heat and prepare a 9x9 or 9x13 glass baking dish by lightly greasing.  We chose a 9x9 baking dish for our dinner, but you could easily spread this out into an 9x13 dish too. 

Mix together the 1/2 C ricotta cheese with the egg white and 1/2 tsp. dried parsley. 

When the pasta is done, drain.  Then, add the pasta to the skillet. 

Plop in the ricotta mixture & stir to incorporate. 

Then, add 1/4 C mozzarella cheese and stir. 

Transfer the mixture into the prepared baking dish. 

Spread the remaining 1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese over the top of the dish. 

Bake at 400 for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the dish is warmed throughout. 

Serve warm & enjoy!

Mmmmm….

5 comments:

  1. I love the new layout! I am definately making that bread in the middle. MMMMMMMM :) Have a great week!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! We're enjoying the change for fall too. Enjoy the Italian herb bread -- that photo makes me laugh every time I see it as it looks like a Dutch shoe :)

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  2. I am in love with all those veggies and the creamy ricotta sauce! Super delicious!

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  3. Oooh, I have some leftover ricotta and this would be perfect to make for dinner over the weekend. Thanks!

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  4. This was yummy! I used cottage cheese in place of the ricotta and went with 8 oz of penne rather than 6 oz. My husband ate it up!!

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Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear from you; especially how you're finding JOY in your kitchen.

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