Delicious Low Fat One Dish Pasta Dinner

Submitted by SaraFish

"A rich-tasting and yummy vegetarian dinner with tangy tomato sauce and filling lowfat cheeses. Check out the picture! It's a layered dish so it looks pretty too! Uses just ONE TEASPOON of oil! I think you could add a meat layer to it if you wanted to."

 

• Ready In: 55mins
• Ingredients: 15
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 340.19 g package pasta (I use rotini)
• 737.08 g can lowfat spaghetti sauce
• 236.59 ml part-skim ricotta cheese
• 118.29 ml fat-free cottage cheese
• 3 garlic cloves
• 29.58 ml parmesan cheese
• 1.23 ml black pepper
• 2 small zucchini, chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 4.92 ml olive oil
• 1.23 ml dried oregano
• 4.92 ml dried basil
• 2.46 ml salt
• 14.79 ml water
• 236.59 ml reduced-fat mozzarella cheese, shredded

directions

1. Cook pasta in boiling salted water for 1-2 minutes less than the package directions say (so it's still quite firm and little undercooked).
2. Drain and return to the pan.
3. Toss with about 2/3 of the can of spaghetti sauce.
4. Set aside to cool.
5. Meanwhile, mix together ricotta, cottage cheese, parmesan and pepper.
6. Stir til smooth.
7. Set aside.
8. Next, saute the zucchini, onion, and garlic in the olive oil.
9. Add oregano, basil, salt and water.
10. Cook until water has evaporated and zucchini is tender-crisp.
11. Make sure the onion doesn't burn.
12. Set aside.
13. Assemble as follows in a 2 quart casserole dish that you've sprayed with Pam.
14. First, put in about 1/2 of the cooled pasta, pat down with the back of your spoon.
15. Then spread out the ricotta cheese mixture.
16. Next, make a layer with the zucchini mixture.
17. Again, pat with the back of your spoon so the zucchini nestles into the ricotta.
18. Sprinkle with about 1/2 of the reduced fat mozzarella.
19. Then put in the rest of the pasta.
20. Pour the remaining sauce over the top.
21. Sprinkle the top with remaining mozzarella.
22. bake at 350 for about 35 minutes.
23. Let cool slightly before serving.

Reviews

[Kim Peters]

Just had this tonight. It was winner. Since I do not have children to feed I really spiced it up. Also I added more veggies for health reasons. I used a hot turkey saugage thinly sliced. When I was sauteing the zucchinis I added mushrooms and spinach. I also used about 3 times more garlic and added red pepper as well as black.

 

[sugarpea]

I think kids would love this dish as written. Dh and I liked it but I also spiced it up and used goat cheese and feta rather than ricotta and cottage cheese. Next time I'll add the final layer of mozzarella just in time to melt it. Thirty-five minutes turned it crispy. This recipe is my idea of comfort food.

 

[Ariane T.]

Scrumptious delicious

 

[Lv2cook]

Pasta was a bit tough and it had no flavor. I did forget the zucchini and next time I would add Italian sausage!

 

[SandwichQueen]

This is comfort food to me. It was delicious. Will make again!