Ingredients
- 4 ounces uncooked pasta (about 1 ¼ cups dry pasta) 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 ½ cups chopped yellow squash
- 1 ½ cups chopped zucchini
- ½ cup chopped onion
- 2 cups chopped tomato
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
- ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
- ⅛ teaspoon crushed red pepper
- ¼ cup (2 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- Cooking spray
Directions
- Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat.
- Preheat oven to 400°.
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add squash, zucchini, and onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomato and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, ½ cup mozzarella, herbs, ½ teaspoon salt, and pepper.
- Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining ½ cup mozzarella. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned.
Variations & Tips
- This recipe is traditionally made with ziti noodles, however you can use whatever pasta you have on hand. Go for whole grain pasta if available.
- Use 2 teaspoons dried instead of fresh herbs (ratio is 3:1 fresh to dried herbs).
- Use any type of tomatoes you like: roma, beefsteak, cherry or ones from your garden!
- Substitute canned tomato sauce or canned diced tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes.
- Substitute other veggies as you have them available: broccoli, peppers, spinach, carrots, mushrooms.
- Substitute the ricotta cheese with equal parts low fat cottage cheese, or Greek yogurt.
- Add leftover cooked chicken, chicken sausage, ground meat or canned cannellini beans for additional protein.
Yield: 4 servings
Total Cost: $5.41
Cost per Serving: $1.35
Nutritional Info (per serving): 301 Calories; 12.1g Fat (5.3g saturated); 16.5g Protein; 32.8g Carbohydrate; 4.1g Fiber; 640mg Sodium
*nutrition facts will change as variations and substitutions are included.
Source: Adapted from Cooking Light
Watch the baked pasta & summer veggies cooking demo below and download the recipe to make it yourself.