Low Fat Baked Ziti with Spinach

A perfect week night meal the whole family will enjoy. Baked ziti is a favorite in my home, sneaking spinach into it is a great way to get your picky kids to eat more leafy greens without any complaints. Perfect with a garden salad on the side.

This makes enough for eight, so if you have a small family, you'll probably have leftovers for lunch or freeze the rest for convenient freezer meals.  This can be made a day ahead if you are planning on serving this for a party, keep it refrigerated then pop it in the oven when it's ready. Enjoy!

Note: I made slight adjustments to the original recipe to make it better, if you have an old printout of this, you may want to re-print it.



Low Fat Baked Pasta with Spinach
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 8 • Size: 1/8th portion • Old Points: 6 pts • Points+: 8 pts
Calories: 296 • Fat: 7 g • Protein: 16 g • Carb: 44 g • Fiber: 5.5 g • Sugar: 5 g
Sodium: 524 mg


Ingredients:
 

• 12 oz uncooked pasta such as ziti
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes (I recommend: Tuttorosso)
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• salt and fresh pepper to taste
• 8 oz fat-free ricotta
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups (8 oz) shredded part skim mozzarella (I recommend: Polly-O)
• olive oil cooking spray (I used my Misto)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with oil spray.

In a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to instructions until al dente. Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, add olive oil and sauté garlic. Add chopped spinach, salt pepper and crushed tomatoes. Season with basil, oregano, salt and pepper.

Add sauce to the pasta and combine the ziti. Add half of the mozzarella, Parmesan cheese and ricotta. Mix well then transfer to the baking pan.

Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Top with the remaining mozzarella.

Bake for 30 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted and the edges are lightly browned. Let it cool 5 minutes, then cut it into 8 equal portions.

This can be made up to a day in advance and stored, tightly covered, in the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes before baking.