6-Ingredient Baked Ziti
Ingredients
12 oz pasta
1 lb lean ground beef
3 cups zucchini, cut in half moons
1 24- ounce jar marinara sauce
1 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1 ½ cups shredded part skim mozzarella cheese
Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mist a 9×13-inch baking dish with non-stick cooking spray (or use two 9×9 baking dishes, if freezing one for later) and set aside.
To a skillet or saute pan over medium high heat, add ground beef. Cook until browned, using a spatula to break up the meat.
If adding chopped zucchini, add them to the pan now with the meat. Cook until the meat is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender. If needed, drain excess fat from the pan.
While the meat is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to a rolling boil over medium-high heat. Add pasta and cook until al dente (pasta should still be slightly firm or it will get too soft when baked – and cook it a little more al dente / more firm if you plan to freeze it). Drain the pasta and pour into the prepared pan (or divide it among the two pans).
Add the cooked meat, marinara sauce, 1 cup of the cheese, and the Italian seasoning to the pan (or pans) with the pasta. Stir gently until well incorporated.
Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese (or add more to your liking). If freezing one pan, see the freezing instructions below.
Cover the pan with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, until hot and bubbly, and until the cheese on top is melted.
Serve and enjoy.
Nutritional information:
8 Servings
Serving Size: ⅛ recipe
Calories: 317.8 kcals
Total Fat: 7.2g
Saturated Fat: 3.6g
Cholesterol: 48.6mg
Sodium: 576.9mg
Total Carbohydrate: 38.5g
Protein: 24.4g
Fiber: 3.2g