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Special Diet Information

Coumadin® (Warfarin)
This recipe is safe for Coumadin (warfarin) users.

Lactose
This recipe contains cheese and some of those who are lactose intolerant may be able to tolerate it.

Sodium
This is NOT a low sodium recipe.

GERD / Acid Reflux
This recipe contains GERD triggers and those with GERD may wish to avoid it.

Gluten Sensitivity
This recipe is safe for those who are sensitive to gluten. Use gluten-free pasta in this dish.

 

"Age is not important unless you're a cheese."
-Helen Hayes, Actress

The refrigerator light goes on...

This is one of those recipes that has it all. It is pretty simple to make, delicious and a complete meal with healthy fats, whole grains, veggies, fruit (tomatoes) and 13 grams of fiber.

There are two tricks to this great pasta bake. The first is to slightly undercook the pasta in the boiling water as it will cook a bit more while baking in the oven. The second is in choosing your tomato sauce.

You can select a bottled tomato sauce and if you choose something like Hunt's no salt added tomato sauce, you might want to add a bit more seasoning, such as a bit of garlic powder or onion powder along with the herbs. For this dish, adding about 1/2 teaspoon of salt if you are using no salt added tomato sauce is a good idea.

There are a lot of tomato sauces on the market that contain a great deal of added salt, so check the label for that first. I have found a few that come in at around 250 milligrams of sodium per half cup and that is a pretty good target. If you use one of those for this recipe, you won't need to add any additional salt.


 

Baked Ziti

Servings: 4 | Serving size: 1/4th pan

Cooking Time: 60 Minutes

This recipe can be multiplied by using multiple pans. Leftovers are great! They can be divided and placed in ziplock bags and frozen. If you wish, you can make your own tomato sauce for this recipe.

Baked Ziti recipe from Dr. Gourmet

Ingredients

  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 1 medium yellow bell pepper (seeded and cut into 1 inch squares)
  • 1 medium red bell pepper (seeded and cut into 1 inch squares)
  • 1/2 lb crimini mushrooms (quartered)
  • 6 medium shallots (peeled and cut in half)
  • 12 oz. whole wheat or gluten-free ziti
  • 5 quarts water
  • 3 cups tomato sauce
  • 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary leaves
  • 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano (grated)
  • fresh ground black pepper to taste
  • 6 ounces part-skim mozzarella cheese (shredded)

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Place a 10 inch Pyrex dish in the oven and preheat to 375°F.

When the oven is hot add the olive oil to the Pyrex dish and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan.

Place the peppers, mushrooms and shallots in the pan and place in the preheated oven.

Roast the vegetables for 45 minutes. Stir about every 10 minutes.

After the vegetables have been roasting for 30 minutes place the water in a large sauce pan over high heat.

When the water boils add the ziti.

Cook until slightly underdone (about 12 – 15 minutes). Drain.

Place the tomato sauce, rosemary leaves, thyme, parmesan, and pepper in a glass or stainless steel bowl.

Stir well and add the ziti.

Toss the pasta to coat well.

Add the pasta and tomato sauce to the vegetables in the Pyrex dish.

Gently fold together until well blended.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 25 minutes.

Top with the mozzarella cheese and bake for another 5 minutes.

Serve.

Nutrition Facts

Serving size: 1/4 pan

Servings: 4

Amount Per Serving

Calories 570 Calories from Fat 144
% Daily Value
Total Fat 16g 21%
  Saturated Fat 7g 35%
  Monounsaturated Fat 4.5g
  Trans Fat 0g
Cholesterol 35mg 11%
Sodium 550mg 24%
Total Carbohydrates 87g 32%
    Dietary Fiber 13g 46%
    Sugars 15g
Protein 30g
Vitamin A 21% Vitamin C 120%
Calcium 29% Iron 33%
Vitamin K 10mcg Potassium 1500mg