This The month of january marks the eighth year which i’ve been doing Dieters. While my weight has fluctuated since reaching transpire and that i’m now positively attempting to lose weight again, I truly want to was joining Dieters that motivated me to learn to prepare and obtain creative in the kitchen area. Because before Dieters? Our meals were virtually remove, stir fry or pasta.
Pasta demonstrated on recption menus at least one time per week. I’d create a whole box (. ) and my spouse and i would split it. He’d put plenty of sauce on his, as i’d put some sauce along with a mountain of grated Parmesan on mine. I had been of the opinion that the big bowl of pasta would be a typical servingafter all, that’s what most restaurants serve, right? It had been a surprise to discover that individuals big boxes of pasta that my spouse and i were eating on our own should serve eight people. Oops.
Among the first changes I made after i became a member of Dieters was downsizing individuals pasta portions. But clearly, two ounces of pasta alone just wasn’t likely to work. And So I began adding vegetables to the pasta. Plenty of them. This will make that paltry two ounces of pasta go much further. And guess what happens? It tastes a lot better this way too. By using this same philosophy, I revamped my baked ziti recipe, something I from time to time made pre-Weight Watchersmy original version had massive levels of cheese and pasta. This version, Vegetable Baked Ziti, includes a smaller sized quantity of reduced-fat cheese and fat-free ricotta included to own casserole a creamy texture. With the addition of plenty of sauteed veggies, each serving contains under two ounces of pasta. However it’s so great, you won’t miss that extra pasta or cheese whatsoever!
Vegetable Baked Ziti
Prep Time: twenty minutes
Prepare Time: forty-five minutes
Total Time: one hour, a few minutes
Baked ziti does not need to be over-packed with cheese to taste good! My recipe includes a creamy sauce, because of the inclusion of fat-free ricotta, and a lot of sauteed veggies.
- cooking spray or oil mister
- 1 tablespoons of. essential olive oil
- 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
- 1 large zucchini, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 8 oz. button or baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- 8 oz. wheat grains pasta (penne and rotini work nicely), cooked al dente based on package
- 1 large jar marinara sauce (about 24 ounces)
- 1-15 oz. container of fat-free ricotta cheese
- pepper and salt to taste
- 1 c. reduced-fat Italian blend cheese (or mozzarella)
- 1 tablespoons of. chopped parsley (optional)
- Preheat oven to 350 levels. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with cooking spray or oil mister.
- Heat essential olive oil inside a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and prepare until softened, about 4 minutes. Add zucchini and mushrooms and prepare until softened and liquid has steamed off, about 7 minutes more. Remove from heat.
- Add pasta, marinara sauce, ricotta, salt, and pepper to skillet with vegetables. Stir until well combined.
- Pour pasta mixture into baking dish. Top with cheese. Bake for half an hour. Sprinkle with parsley before serving, if preferred.
About Kiersten
Kiersten may be the founder and editor of My Dear Veggies. Find out more from Kiersten →