Recipe: Baked ziti with vegetables

Dietitian's tip: For an alternative to spaghetti with meat sauce, try this baked ziti dish loaded with fresh vegetables. Serve with mixed-grain bread and a side of sliced strawberries and bananas.

   

Ingredients

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 F. Lightly coat a baking dish with cooking spray.

Fill a large pot 3/4 full with water and bring to a boil. Add the pasta and cook until al dente (tender), 10 to 12 minutes, or according to the package directions. Drain the pasta thoroughly.

In a nonstick frying pan over medium heat, add the reserved juice from the canned tomatoes. Stir in the carrots, broccoli and green pepper. Saute the vegetables until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, basil, oregano and black pepper to the vegetable mixture. Cook over low heat for 3 to 5 minutes.

Transfer the cooked vegetables to a large bowl. Add the cooked pasta and mozzarella cheese. Toss gently to mix. Spoon the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with the Parmesan cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the mixture is hot and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil after 15 minutes.

Divide the pasta among warmed individual bowls. Serve immediately.

Nutritional Analysis

(per serving)

Calories	360	Cholesterol	35 mg
Protein	23 g	Sodium	613 mg
Carbohydrate	45 g	Fiber	9 g
Total fat	11 g	Potassium	564 mg
Saturated fat	6 g	Calcium	541 mg
Monounsaturated fat	3 g

MAYO CLINIC HEALTHY WEIGHT PYRAMID SERVINGS

Vegetables	3
Carbohydrates	2
Protein and dairy	1

• Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid tool
• Mayo Clinic Healthy Weight Pyramid: A sample menu

DIABETES MEAL PLAN EXCHANGES

Starches	1
Milk and milk products	1
Nonstarchy vegetables	3

• Your diabetes diet: Exchange lists

DASH EATING PLAN SERVINGS

Grains and grain products	1
Vegetables	3
Dairy foods (low-fat or fat-free)	1

• DASH diet: Guide to recommended servings
• Sample menus for the DASH eating plan

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