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Baked Ziti pasta in a dish
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The BEST Baked Ziti Recipe

This baked ziti is incredibly quick to prepare. Loaded with creamy sauce, meatballs and chunks of veggies, it is one of my go-tos for an easy family dinner.
Course Main Course, Pasta
Cuisine American, Italian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings 14 servings
Calories 264kcal
Author Natalya Drozhzhin

Ingredients

  • 1/2 lb ziti noodles uncooked
  • 1 lb zucchini
  • 1/2 lb cauliflower
  • 24 oz Prego® Meat Pasta Sauce
  • 1 lb meatballs lean turkey is the best
  • 16 oz cottage cheese small curd
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  • Prepare ingredietns for the recipe. Cook pasta for about 8 minutes, you don't want to overcook it.
    Ingredients to make Ziti pasta
  • Preheat an oiled skillet on high heat. Add zucchini slices to the skillet and cook it until the zucchini is golden brown on both sides. Remove zucchini from the skillet and set aside.
    Zucchini roasting on a skillet
  • To the preheated skillet add cauliflower pieces. Brown on all sides, remove from the skillet and set aside.
    cauliflower roasting in a skillet
  • To a baking dish add cooked ziti, meatballs, zucchini and cauliflower. Pour Prego® Flavored with Meat Pasta Sauce over the ingredients.
    Ziti in a baking dish
  • Stir to incorporate Prego® Meat Pasta Sauce into the ziti bake.
    Ziti with sauce in a baking dish
  • To the ingredients add in cottage cheese and stir to combine everything together.
    Ziti pasta with meatballs and veggies
  • Top it off with mozzarella and cover the baking dish with foil. Bake at 350°F for 25 minutes. Remove foil in the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Serve right away.

Nutrition

Calories: 264kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 16g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 41mg | Sodium: 500mg | Potassium: 469mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 429IU | Vitamin C: 17mg | Calcium: 131mg | Iron: 1mg