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….