Baked Ziti

Yes, a pan full of cheesy pasta is in fact under 500 calories for a rather generous portion size.  Hooray!!  It's actually kind of like a lasagna minus the meat and the squiggly noodles that are hard to cut.

1 box whole wheat/fiber enriched ziti or penne
1 (15oz) container of fat-free ricotta cheese (I couldn't find fat free but I did get the low fat part skim variety, oh walmart you are such a non-grocery grocery store.)
2 large egg whites
4 cups finely shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
3 1/2 cups low-fat, low sodium marinara or the following recipe for you own sauce.  (takes a little time to make but at only 63 calories a serving is worth it)
2 Tablespoons grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese


Marinara Sauce:
1 cup minced yellow or white onion
2 Tablespoon freshly minced garlic (or more!)
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons no-salt-added tomato paste
2 tsps honey
1 Tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons dried basil (I personally just used the always handy mixed italian seasonings instead of oregano and basil and dumped a bunch in... I'm not huge on the whole "measuring" thing.  Besides, it's hard to have too much seasoning!)
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
salt, to taste, optional


Put a little olive oil in a non-stick skillet and heat over medium.  Add the onion and garlice and cook until just becoming tender (4-6 mins) Reduce the heat to low and stir in the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, honey, and seasonings.  Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour.  Season with salt, if needed.
Makes 7 (1/2 cup) servings or 3 1/2 cups of sauce
Nutrition: 63 calories, 3 g protein, 15 g carbohydrates, less than 1 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 156 mg sodium.


For the Baked Ziti:
Preheat oven to 400* and mist a 9x13 pan with cooking spray.
Cook the ziti according to package directions and drain.
IN a large mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, egg whites, and all but one cup of the mozzarella until well combined. Add the garlic powder and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the cooked pasta until well combined.  (This would also be a good place to throw in some more Italian seasoning if you'd like)
Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the dish.  Add half the past in an even layer over the sauce.  Top with another 1 cup of the sauce.  Layer the remaining pasta over the sauce and the remaining 1 1/2 cups of sauce should be spooned over that.  Sprinkle the reserved cup of cheese and the Parmesan over the top.
Cover with foil and bake 20 mins.  Remove foil and bake 10 mins longer or until the mozzarella is melted.  Let stand five minutes.
Makes 8 Servings
Nutrition (including sauce recipe above):
350 calories, 22 g protein, 57 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat (3g saturated), 20 mg cholesterol, 8 g fiber, 429 mg sodium


I thought this was pretty tasty and easy to make.  I will say, however, that I will put more sauce in next time. I have always been a more sauce less cheese type of person, but if you are opposite like my husband then this recipe works just fine.  I also added a little freshly grated Romano cheese on top because I have some in the fridge I want to use before it goes bad.  (those Italians think alot of their cheese!! $$) And that was tasty.  If you aren't watching calories you could always throw some pepperoni in the layers as well which would be pretty tasty.