Mens Health Baked Ziti Recipes

HEALTHY BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Bring a 5-6 quart pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 5 minutes. The pasta should still have a bite to it after it cooks. This helps keep the pasta from getting mushy.
• Drain the pasta and rinse. Place the pasta into a 9 x13 baking dish.
• Mix ricotta cheese, egg, romano or parmesan cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl. Stir in the crushed red pepper if you're using it.
• Mix the ricotta cheese mixture and spaghetti sauce in with the pasta. Start with 3-cups of sauce and add more if you need to. The pasta should be covered with sauce and cheese mixture.
• Sprinkle mozzarella over the top of the pasta mixture.
• Cover with foil and bake for 55 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 5 minutes or until cheese is melted and the baked ziti is bubbling on the sides.

HEALTHIER BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook ziti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes. Drain and transfer pasta to a bowl and toss with spinach and sour cream.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir sausage, onion, carrots, and garlic until onion is translucent and sausage is no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Add spaghetti sauce and broccoli to sausage mixture and simmer until sauce mixture is heated through, about 15 minutes.
• Layer 1/2 of the ziti mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread 1/2 of the fresh mozzarella cheese, 1/2 of the sauce mixture, the remaining ziti mixture, and fresh mozzarella cheese, respectively, into the baking dish. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the dish. Cover dish with aluminum foil.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cheeses have melted, about 20 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and cook until top is lightly browned, about 10 minutes more.

MEN'S HEALTH BAKED ZITI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
• In a large skillet over medium high heat place olive oil, adding mushrooms and cooking until brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add the onion and garlic; sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Lower heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring occasionally until veggies are soft, about 2 minutes.
• Add tomatoes and simmer.
• Meanwhile, cook pasta until just tender, it should still be too firm to eat.
• Drain and toss with the sauce and about HALF the mozzarella.
• Grease a large baking dish and pour the mixture into it.
• Top with remaining mozzarella and bake until top is browned and cheese is bubbling, 20-30 minutes.