Vegetable Baked Ziti

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 50 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb whole wheat ziti

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ cup diced onion

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 cups diced red bell pepper

2 cups quartered yellow squash

2 cup quartered zucchini

1 ¾ cups low sodium tomato sauce (16 ounces)

2 cups shredded mozzarella (divided)

1 cup ricotta cheese

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh basil chopped

¼ teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon sea salt

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and prepare a greased large oven safe baking dish (13×9 or 11×7).

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Boil the ziti until al dente. Cook for 3-4 minutes less than the time the package recommends. Remember, the pasta will continue to cook in the oven and soak up the sauce along the way!

While the pasta is cooking, heat the olive oil over medium heat in a sauté pan.

Sauté the onions and garlic for 3 minutes or until soft and translucent.

Add the red peppers, yellow squash and zucchini to the pan and cook for 3 minutes or until gently softened. Do not skip this step, it's important to gently cook the vegetables to release some liquid.

Drain the pasta in a colander and return to the pot it cooked in.

To the cooked pasta, add the sautéd vegetables, tomato sauce, 1 cup of mozzarella, ricotta, parmesan cheese, basil, black pepper, and salt. Stir together to combine.

Pour the pasta mixture into a large baking dish (13×9 or 11×7) Sprinkle the remaining cup of shredded mozzarella cheese on top.

Cover the dish and bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

With 3 minutes left, remove the lid and turn the oven on broil to achieve crispy, cheesy edges.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 cups
• Calories: 548 kcal
• Total Fat: 20 g
• Saturated Fat: 10 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 7 g
• Cholesterol: 56 mg
• Sodium: 673 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 62 g
• Dietary Fiber: 10 g
• Total Sugars: 10 g
• Protein: 28 g