Baked Ziti – A Great Italian and Vegetarian Dish

A Great Italian and Vegetarian Meal 

If you’re trying to reduce your intake of meat or looking for a great Meatless Monday dish, try my family recipe for homemade Baked Ziti. Baked Ziti makes a healthy, delicious meal. Just add a fresh, organic salad to get your daily dose of greens and… you’re all set with a nutritious dinner.

You can use traditional ziti pasta or if you want more fiber, a whole wheat ziti pasta could work too; however, it will change the flavor somewhat.

High in Nutrition

This recipe uses tomato sauce. Tomato sauce, when cooked in a healthy way with olive oil, garlic, and herbs (to taste) will provide you nutrients such as potassium, vitamin C and lycopene.

Ziti Pasta by Carole Jakucs, 2022. Image Subject to copyright. 

And you’ll get protein and calcium from the cheese in this dish. Baked Ziti makes for a healthy and filling meal that’s packed with nutrients and is also easy to serve if you’re having guests. 

Marinara Tomato Sauce by Carole Jakucs, 2022. Image subject to copyright.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of Ziti style Pasta

• 2 pounds of Ricotta Cheese (use part-skim if you want less saturated fat)

• 2 eggs (organic, free-range is the healthiest choice)

• ½ pound of Grated Mozzarella Cheese (use reduced fat for less saturated fat)

• ½ cup of Grated Parmesan Cheese

• Salt, Pepper, and Parsley to taste

• Tomato Sauce of your choice (if using canned tomatoes, you’ll want to prepare 2-large cans (28      ounces each) of crushed tomatoes in puree, use organic for less exposure to pesticides)

Ricotta, Parmesan and Mozzarella Cheeses and Herbs by Carole Jakucs, 2022. Image subject to copyright. 

Instructions:

Cook or heat the Italian Tomato sauce of your choice and season to taste. Once cooked, you’ll need to make and heat enough sauce to use at the bottom of the baking dish, and for spreading across the pan the middle layers. You’ll need to have some extra sauce on the side when serving and eating the baked Ziti, so each person can add sauce to their plate as they wish (some like more sauce, and some prefer less sauce).

Cook the Ziti pasta according to the package label for al dente, drain, place on the side, and let it slightly cool. Don’t overcook the pasta, as it will cook more when it bakes then become too soft.

In a large bowl, mix the ricotta, eggs, grated mozzarella, and grated parmesan – add salt, pepper, and parsley to taste. Keep on the side.

Grease (with olive oil spray or brush with olive oil) the bottom and sides of a 13 x 9-inch glass baking dish. Place on the side.

Now – you’re ready to start layering…

Spread a thin layer of Tomato Sauce on the entire bottom of the baking dish.

Use one half of the cooked Ziti, to spread evenly over the sauce. (Save the other half of the Ziti for one more layer).

Next, spread a thin layer of Tomato Sauce over the first layer of Ziti pasta.

Then, spread the entire Ricotta Cheese mixture as your next layer, over the sauce.

Add a little more sauce now along the entire length of the pan, over the Ricotta mixture.

Use the rest of the Ziti pasta as the next layer of the pan.

Last, spread a little more sauce (to your liking) over the last layer of Ziti.

Baked Ziti - Ready for the Oven by Carole Jakucs, 2022. Image subject to copyright. 

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for approximately 45 – 55 minutes (depending on your oven). You’ll want to place the baking dish on a large, heavy baking tray or cookie tray for support and for greater ease in moving the heavy pan into and out of the oven.

If you want a slightly crispiness to the top, you can remove the foil for the last 15 minutes.

Buon appetito! Enjoy!

Cranberry Sauce with a Crunch - an easy, healthy and tasty recipe for the holidays or anytime

It’s National Eat A Cranberry Day! With the holidays here be sure to add cranberries (which are high in vitamin C and anti-aging antioxidants) to your holiday meals and regular meals too. Here’s my recipe – it’s lower in sugar and high in omega 3s and antioxidants on top of it being delicious. 

Ingredients: 

One package of cranberries 

one cup of water

1/3 cup of sugar

1/3 cup of chopped walnuts

1/3 cup of chopped celery 

Photo by Courtney Trefzger, 2018. Image subject to copyright. Cranberry sauce with holiday food.

Directions:

1. Rinse and drain cranberries

2. Combine cranberries, water and sugar 

3. Place in a 3-quart pan and cook for 5 minutes on a medium heat, stirring occasionally during this time while the cranberries pop

4. Remove cranberry mixture from heat, place in a serving dish

5. Add chopped walnuts and celery.  Mix well. 

6. Cover then chill for at least 4 hours

7. Enjoy! 

Pumpkin Packs a Powerful Nutritious Punch

Fall is officially here. And with it comes cooler weather, shorter days and fall foods. One food that comes to mind for most people is pumpkin – pumpkins are everywhere, from Halloween displays, pumpkin laced coffee drinks, pumpkin muffins and most people’s Thanksgiving favorite…pumpkin pie.

Fall and Pumpkins photo by Carole Jakucs. 10/31/16
Image subject to copyright.

While some pumpkin laced and based foods can be loaded with fat and sugar, there are plenty of recipes on the internet -  from pumpkin muffins to breads and more, that are made with unsweetened applesauce and whole wheat flour. Pumpkin even makes for a delicious base for a tasty soup.

And guess what – pumpkin is healthy when not paired up with sugar, fat and white flour. Pumpkin is filled with good-for-you nutrients. And most abundant is Vitamin A.  Vitamin A is essential for human health. Among its many functions - it supports our immune system, eyes and vision.

So…go for it! Just remember to reduce the sugar and fat that sometimes accompany pumpkin recipes and replace them with healthy alternatives as above for a delicious fall treat.  

Crunchy Cranberry Salad

Are you looking for a healthy, natural cranberry salad for Thanksgiving? If so - you can make your own - with this easy recipe I created.

Ingredients:

1 package of fresh cranberries
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of sugar 
1/3 cup of finely chopped walnuts
1/3 cup of finely chopped celery (approximately 1-2 small stalks)

Public Domain Photo Courtesy of: CCO (Creative Commons Public Domain)

Directions:

Rinse and drain cranberries. Combine cranberries, water and sugar, place in a 3 quart pan and cook for 5 minutes on a medium heat, stirring occasionally during this time while the cranberries pop. Remove cranberry mixture from heat, place in a serving dish.  Add chopped walnuts and celery.  Mix well.  Cover then chill for at least 4 hours.

This healthier version of cranberry salad is nutritious – containing antioxidants and omega 3’s. And it’s lower in sugar than most recipes too.

Consider making cranberries a part of your regular diet throughout the year.

Green Beans Sauteed with Olive Oil

Green beans are one of the more familiar vegetables that typically appear on most Thanksgiving dinner tables. If you're looking for a healthier yet tasty version of a green bean recipe, this may be it.   The added bonus is that it's simple to make and only requires a few ingredients. Green beans are nutritious too, containing Vitamin C and fiber. This is a great recipe for the holidays or anytime of the year. Try to buy organic produce when you can to reduce your exposure to pesticides.

Green Beans by Stacey Sauvago. Public Domain Image.

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh green beans

1/2 cup of filtered water

1/4 – 1/3 cup of olive oil (depending on your personal taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Rinse green beans well, cut off the tips/strings at each end of each bean, or buy fresh green beans (prepackaged) with the tips cut. If the beans are long, cut each bean in half.  If they are not, they don’t need to be cut. Place beans in a large 12 inch non stick saute/fry pan, add the filtered water to just cover the beans. Place a lid on the pan and cook at a low heat for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to get the beans softened but not overcooked to maintain higher levels of Vitamin C. 

Drain the remaining water out of the pan then brown the green beans for approximately 10 minutes on a medium heat, stirring them gently and occasionally. Now add the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat to the lowest setting and cook for another 10 minutes while stirring them occasionally and gently. You can cook the beans longer to brown them more - they taste great this way too.
  
Remember - when cooking with olive oil, don't use a high heat due to its low smoke point. Maintain a lower to medium heat to prevent smoking of the oil. 

Green Beans with Olive Oil Recipe

Green beans are packed with Vitamin C and fiber. This is a great recipe for anytime of the year and it's simple and quick to make. It’s a great side dish for back yard barbecues or formal dinners. Try to buy organic produce when you can to reduce your exposure to pesticides.

Photo By: McKay Savage from London, UK [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons)

Ingredients:

1 pound of fresh green beans

1/2 cup of filtered water

1/4 – 1/3 cup of olive oil (depending on your personal taste)

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Rinse green beans well, cut off the tips/strings at each end of each bean, or buy fresh green beans (prepackaged) with the tips cut. If the beans are long, cut each bean in half.  If they are not, they don’t need to be cut. Place beans in a large 12 inch non stick saute/fry pan, add the filtered water to just cover the beans. Place a lid on the pan and cook at a low heat for approximately 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. You want to get the beans softened but not overcooked to maintain higher levels of Vitamin C.

Drain the remaining water out of the pan then brown the green beans for approximately 10 minutes on a medium heat, stirring them gently and occasionally. Now add the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat to the lowest setting and cook for another 10 minutes while stirring them occasionally and gently.
  
*Remember that when cooking with olive oil you cannot use high heats due to its low “smoke point." Maintain a low heat to prevent smoking of the oil. High heat also leaches out some of the healthful qualities of olive oil. 

This can be served as a side dish to a roast or barbecued meats and provides approximately 4 servings.  Enjoy!