Baked Ziti

Mmmm… Pasta! I love Italian food. Baked Ziti probably makes the list in the top 5, although it would be hard for me to narrow a top five. I’m typically no fan of spicy, but this recipe had a good kick to it. It’s amazing how much punch the red pepper flakes can pack. From now on, I think I’ll halve the measurement every time it’s called for. It alsways surprises me how spicy it ends up being. I used the leftover turkey sausage links from the Sausage with Peppers recipe and they worked out just great. That’s another thing I love about Cook This Not That, they use the same ingredients throughout the whole book. So you don’t buy something and use it just once, you can use it several times, until it’s gone.

Source: Cook This Not That, David Zinckenko & Matt Goulding

Servings: 4
Cost per serving: $3.01

Calories: 410
Fat: 12 g (5 g saturated)
Sodium: 600 mg

10 oz. ziti, preferably whole wheat if you can find it
1 tbsp olive oil
2 links preecooked chicken or turkey sausage, diced
1 medium yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 can (28 oz) tomato puree
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 c. fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
3/4 c. cubed mozzarella (preferably fresh)
Parmesan for grating

Preheat the oven to 400. Bring a pot of salted water to boil. Cook the pasta until a minute shy of being done (it’ll finish cooking in the oven). Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet or saute pan over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook for about 2 minutes, until lightly browned. Add the onion, garlic, and pepper flakes and cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Stir in the tomato puree, plus a good pinch of salt and black pepper. Reduce the heat and simmer for at least 10 minutes. Drain the pasta. Add to the skillet and toss with the sauce. Remove from the heat and stir in the basil and mozzarella. Dump the pasta into a 12×9″ baking dish, sprinkle the top with a bit of Parmesan, and cover with foil. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove the foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until the top is crusty and browned. Garnish with basil leaves and serve.

Cook This instead of enjoying Olive Garden Five Cheese Ziti al Forno
Calories: 1050
Fat: 48 g (26 g saturated)
Sodium: 2370 mg