Baked Rigatoni Pasta
This Baked Rigatoni Pasta Recipe is a spin on classic lasagna. It's SO much easier, healthier for you and just as, if not more, delicious!
Servings 6 servings
Calories 644kcal
Ingredients
- 1 lb. rigatoni pasta or ziti
for the sauce:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 small onion diced
- 1 cloves garlic minced
- 1 small zucchini diced
- 1/2 lb. ground turkey I used 99% fat free
- 28 oz. jarred marinara + 1 cup water to wash out jar
- 15- oz. diced tomatoes 1 can
- 1 teaspoon basil
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1 bay leaf
- salt & pepper to taste
for the cheese layer:
- 2 cups low fat cottage cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic seasoning salt such as Lawry's
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1/2 lb. fresh mozzarella sliced thin
Instructions
- Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Cook pasta 1-2 minutes shy of al dente and drain. Set aside.
- Place hot pot over medium heat and sauté onions, garlic and zucchini in olive oil for 3 minutes or until they start to get tender. Add in ground turkey and break apart to brown. Once turkey meat is completely cooked, add in remaining sauce ingredients, adjusting seasonings as you like. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer and cook 15 minutes. *Add in splashes of water as needed. You don't want this to get too terribly thick.
- While sauce is cooking, stir all ingredients for the cheese layer together in a large bowl. Set aside.
- Remove bay leaf from sauce. Stir in pasta and toss to coat. Spoon half pasta and sauce into the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13 glass baking dish. Spread entire cheese layer over hot pasta and top with half the sliced mozzarella. Pour over remaining pasta and top with last few slices of mozzarella.
- Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sit 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 644kcal | Carbohydrates: 74g | Protein: 43g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 88mg | Sodium: 1796mg | Potassium: 1077mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 1130IU | Vitamin C: 23.2mg | Calcium: 406mg | Iron: 4.1mg