Recipe Background
This Lite Baked Ziti is perfect for snow days, bringing cozy warmth with fresh basil and bubbling cheese.
The first time I whipped up this Lite Baked Ziti was during an unexpected snow day that had my young kids bouncing off the walls. Stuck at home and craving something warm, I rummaged through the pantry to find a pound of ziti. The plan was to create a wholesome dish that would capture their attention as the snow piled up outside our window.
On half-snowed-in mornings, I always reach for extra-virgin olive oil. Sautéing a chopped onion back then felt like a mini ritual, the aroma wafting through the kitchen, acting as an aromatic beacon to hungry little ones. Two cloves of crushed garlic joined the party, meeting tomato paste and a hint of oregano, mingling into a sauce so delightful it almost made me forget the icy roads outside.
A few lessons from those early days still stick with me: drain your canned tomatoes well and make sure you fold the ricotta mixture gently. Seeing them enjoy this dish filled with fresh basil and savory mozzarella is a lasting memory, one of those moments where the flavors and the warmth in the room seem to sync up just right.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ziti pasta
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon oregano dried or fresh
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons basil thinly sliced, plus more for garnish
- 1 1/2 cups fresh ricotta
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen spinach drained and chopped
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 cups mozzarella shredded
- 1/2 cup parmesan grated
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the ziti pasta until very al dente according to package directions.
- Drain the pasta.
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil.
- Add the onion to the oil and cook, stirring often, until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.
- Stir the garlic, the tomato paste, and the oregano into the onion and cook until slightly darkened, about 2 minutes.
- Add the crushed tomatoes and season the tomato mixture with the salt and the pepper.
- Bring the sauce to a simmer and reduce the heat to low.
- Cook the sauce, stirring occasionally, until slightly reduced and the flavors have melded together, about 15-20 minutes.
- Transfer the saucepan from the heat and stir in the basil.
- Combine the ricotta, the spinach, the lemon zest, and the crushed red pepper flakes in a medium bowl.
- In a large bowl, combine the sauce and the pasta.
- Fold the ricotta mixture into the pasta mixture, leaving large clumps.
- Spread 1/2 of the pasta mixture into the bottom of a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
- Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella and 1/2 of the parmesan over the pasta layer.
- Repeat the layers.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake until the cheese is bubbling, about 20-25 minutes.
- Garnish with the extra basil.
- Serve.
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