Not having enough leftover sauce for pasta night, I came up with this idea to make it stretch a bit. Mom taught me well! :~)
The husband was happy, he loves anything with pasta and sauce (and he didn’t even complain about the whole wheat pasta). The toddler even picked out a few bites. Overall, it was a winner but I wished I had a bit more sauce to drizzle on top after baking. Next time I make it, it won’t be out of necessity. :~)
Ingredients
- 8 oz whole wheat rigatoni
- 1 medium –large zucchini sliced thin
- ¾ cup part skim ricotta cheese (~182 g)
- 3oz mozzarella cheese (separated)
- 1 egg white
- 1 cup tomato sauce (like my Homemade Sauce) (separated)
- Dried parsley
- Black pepper
- Non-stick cooking spray
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Prepare the pasta according to package cooking 2-3 minutes less (about 6-8 minutes) as the pasta will continue to cook in the oven.
While the pasta is cooking, slice the zucchini. Spray a casserole dish with non stick cooking spray and place the zucchini on the bottom created a layer. Save some zucchini for the top.
Mix the ricotta cheese, 1 oz of the mozzarella, egg white, and ½ cup of the sauce. Set aside.
Once the pasta is done, turn off heat, drain and return to the pot. Add the ricotta mixture and stir until all the pasta is coated.
Pour the pasta mixture unto the casserole dish and spread to create a layer over the zucchini. Top with the remaining zucchini, ½ cup of sauce and the remaining cheese. Sprinkle with a bit of dried parsley and black pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes.
(Note: this can me made ahead and baked when ready to serve but you may want to add more sauce as the pasta will continue to soak it up)
📖 Recipe
Baked Rigatoni & Zucchini
Ingredients
- 8 oz whole wheat rigatoni
- 1 medium –large zucchini sliced thin
- ¾ cup part skim ricotta cheese ~182 g
- 3 oz mozzarella cheese separated
- 1 egg white
- 1 cup tomato sauce like my Homemade Sauce (separated)
- Dried parsley
- Black pepper
- Non-stick cooking spray
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare the pasta according to package cooking 2-3 minutes less (about 6-8 minutes) as the pasta will continue to cook in the oven.8 oz whole wheat rigatoni
- While the pasta is cooking, slice the zucchini. Spray a casserole dish with non stick cooking spray and place the zucchini on the bottom created a layer. Save some zucchini for the top.1 medium –large zucchini sliced thin, Non-stick cooking spray
- Mix the ricotta cheese, 1 oz of the mozzarella, egg white, and ½ cup of the sauce. Set aside.¾ cup part skim ricotta cheese, 3 oz mozzarella cheese, 1 egg white, 1 cup tomato sauce
- Once the pasta is done, turn off heat, drain and return to the pot. Add the ricotta mixture and stir until all the pasta is coated.
- Pour the pasta mixture unto the casserole dish and spread to create a layer over the zucchini. Top with the remaining zucchini, ½ cup of sauce and the remaining cheese. Sprinkle with a bit of dried parsley and black pepper. Bake for 20-30 minutes.Dried parsley, Black pepper
Notes
- this can me made ahead and baked when ready to serve but you may want to add more sauce as the pasta will continue to soak it up
Liz W
i'm not a fan of ricotta, and usually mix about 8oz mozzarella with a pound of crumbled tofu. i've used it in manicotti and lasagna, and the bf loves it. i never tell people what the mix is till after they've eaten it, though.
roni
Hi Lindsay! - I'm pretty sure my pan is 13x9
Lindsay Morrison
Do you know which size casserole dish??
Lindsey
Hi Roni, I've just discovered your website and by god am I glad I did. This looks amazing! Exactly the type of food you want to eat when it's cold outside. I will definitely be making this tonight, thanks for posting.
Amy
This was sooo good and i wasnt surprised ive made a a lot of your recipes and there all better than the next..thanks for doing what you do.you really help me alot..
aimee
This is the first recipe of yours that I tried and it was FABULOUS! I'm so excited to eat leftovers today for lunch! Thanks!!
Kim
Just made this and love it! I made two, actually.. just as easy as one. I did add extra sauce to the top after baking. Delicious! Great meal to bring to a new mom with some salad and bread!
Lauren
This was excellent! Had it for dinner tonight and even my fiance liked it! (Oh by the way, he doesn't like anything I make! LOL! He even said, "see now I do like something you make!")
Julie
This is absolutely delicious! This will become a staple in my kitchen, and was so quick and easy for a single graduate student like myself to whip up! I could hardly wait to eat the leftovers the next few days!
Amy
Just found your website yesterday! I was DESPERATE for some "healthy" recipes, LOW in points, so your website was just what the doctor ordered!
I whipped this recipe up for dinner tonight. It was absolutely DELICIOUS! The only change I made was adding EXTRA LEAN ground beef to the casserole. So, I'm not sure how many extra points that added per serving. I'm estimating WITH ground beef it may have bumped it up to 9 or 10 points per serving. Any thoughts???
I REALLY loved the added "crunch" with the sliced zucchini. And, even better ..... (drum roll, please) ..... this was my VERY FIRST TIME EVER trying WHOLE WHEAT pasta. I was a bit nervous that I would NOT like it. But ..... SURPRISE! I LOVED it!
So, I give this recipe an A+++++++
I look forward to making more of your YUMMY recipes. Thanks for all of your insight and knowledge! You are truly a LIFESAVER for someone like me!
Megan
I made this for dinner last night and my husband and I both enjoyed it! Thanks!
Cindy
I made this pasta for dinner tonight and it was phenomenal! DH & I both loved it. I had enough ingredients for two so I made a double batch and put one in the freezer. So little work for two complete dinners and leftovers for lunch! Thanks again Roni!
Christina
I tried this out on Sunday and have been enjoying the leftovers since. Great recipe! Helps me get my cheese fix without going overboard. Thanks again, Roni!
Jen
Roni - this was SO GOOD!!!!
And it didn't leave that pit in your stomach that a full fat, loaded down baked ziti always does and it was way more satisfying! Thanks for a great recipe!
roni
Dry. I always weight my pasta dry. I actually have a post about that coming soon! LOL
Sabrina
When you say 8oz of pasta. Is it 8oz dry or 8oz cooked?
a. grace
that is one ooey, good-looking mound of deliciousness.
here's a thought--people don't usually use the word "ooey" without following it with "gooey." it sounds weird, and i wonder why that is.
Christy
Oh yum! This looks great. I do something similar but my zucchini is chopped up a bit more. Sometime I like to julian (sp?) the zucchini.