Healthy Baked Ziti Inspired Pasta Bake
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Healthy Baked Ziti Inspired Pasta Bake
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Ingredients
How to make this recipe
Preheat oven 180°C
Add the chopped aubergine and mushrooms to a large baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil. Season with pepper and pop in the oven for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by sauteing the onion in the remaining olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Season with salt. If the onion dries out, add a splash of water instead of oil, as we are trying to use less oil (as there is lots of cheese coming next)! After around 5 minutes, add the chopped garlic to fry for a couple of minutes. Add some red pepper flakes if you like it hot!
Next add the plum tomatoes and use a spatula to stir and break down the chunks of tomato before before adding the water and oregano. Reduce to a simmer while your veggies are roasting in the oven (around 20 minutes from this point).
Add the fusilli to salted boiling water and then simmer according packet instructions minus 4 minutes.
Drain the pasta and reserve some pasta water. Add a few ladles of tomato sauce with the pasta, then mix and loosen with another ladle or two of pasta water. Time to assemble the layers. Add a ladle of the tomato sauce into your baking dish and add half of pasta.
Then add half of the roasted veggies and scatter small dollops of the ricotta (all of it) over this layer and ⅓ of the mozzarella cubes. Add a few ladles of sauce and repeat. With the final layer consisting of only mozzarella cubes for the crispiest cheese.
Bake for 25-30M, or until a golden crust is achieved. Serve immediately.
Other vegetarian pasta recipes you should try out …
Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables With Halloumi and Baked Orzo
Healthy Baked Ziti Inspired Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 2 aubergines, sliced into cubes (£0.76x2)=(£1.52)
- 250 g chestnut mushrooms, sliced into quarters (£0.65)
- 1 white onion, finely diced (£0.09)
- 3 garlic cloves, chopped (£0.69/3)=)(£0.23)
- 2 (400g) tins of plum tomatoes (£0.32x2)=(£0.64)
- 400 g whole grain fusilli (£0.50)
- 100 g whole milk ricotta cheese (£0.88)
- 2 balls (250g) mozzarella (£0.49x2)=(£0.98)
Cupboard Essentials
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt & Pepper
- 400 ml water
- Optional red pepper flakes
Method
Preheat oven 180°C
- Add the aubergine and mushroom into a large baking tray with a drizzle of olive oil (around ½ tbsp). Season with pepper and pop in the oven for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, prepare the sauce by sauteing the onion in the remaining olive oil in a non-stick frying pan. Season with salt. As we are trying to use less oil in this recipe with the large amount of cheese, add a splash of water if the onions start to feel a bit dry. After around 5 minutes, add the chopped garlic to fry for a couple of minutes. If you like a little heat, add some red pepper flakes at this stage.
- Add the plum tomatoes and using your spatula, break the chunks of tomato as much as you can before adding the water and oregano. Stir to combine and reduce to a simmer until your veggies are roasted (around 20 minutes from this point).
- Add the fusilli to salted boiling water and simmer for the packet cook time minus 4 minutes. Drain the pasta reserving some pasta water and combine a few ladles of tomato sauce with the pasta. Loosen with a ladle or two of pasta water.
- Time to assemble to ziti! Add a ladle of the tomato sauce into your baking dish. Next add half of pasta and then half of the roasted veggies. Scatter small dollops of the ricotta (all of it) over this layer and ⅓ of the mozzarella cubes. Add a few ladles of sauce and repeat. With the final layer consisting of only mozzarella cubes for the crispiest cheese.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until a golden crust is achieved. Serve immediately.
Nutrition
Healthy Baked Ziti Inspired Pasta Bake
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