Baked Ziti with Spinach

Tonight I tried a new recipe from Gina's Skinny Recipes, Low Fat Baked Ziti with Spinach.  It was a keeper!

Ingredients:

• 1 lb whole grain ziti (or penne) pasta
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and pressed with paper towels to get the water out
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes
• 1 tsp oregano
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh basil
• 8 oz fat-free ricotta
• 1/4 cup Parmesan
• 2 cups (8 oz) part skim mozzarella
• salt to taste
• pepper to taste 

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

2.  Cook pasta according to instructions.  Drain and return to pot.

3.  Add olive oil to a large saucepan, and saute garlic.  Add chopped spinach and crushed tomatoes. Season with oregano, fresh basil, salt, and pepper.

4.  Add sauce to the pasta and combine.  Add the parmesan cheese, ricotta, and half of the mozzarella cheese.  Mix well and let simmer for about 5-10 minutes.

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

6.  Bake for 20 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted and lightly browned.



After we enjoyed it!


I didn't want David to have any preconceived notions, so I still haven't told him it was low fat!  He enjoyed it and didn't seem to notice :)

I hope you like it as much as we did!  Have a happy week!