Summer Flair Baked Ziti

We are always finding ways to sneak more veggies into our meals. Last week, I stumbled on a recipe for Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies from Cooking Light. The recipe seemed like it would be easy yet incorporate several veggies in the meal. I molded it more to our tastes and came up with the following combination:

Ingredients:

4 ounces uncooked ziti (we used whole grain)
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 zucchini (chopped)
1 medium white onion, chopped
2 cups grape tomatoes
4 baby bella mushrooms (I am the only one that eats them, so I don't put many in)
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp fresh basil, chopped
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
3/4 tsp salt, divided
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 cup part-skim ricotta
1 cup shredded mozzarella
1 egg white from large egg

Directions:

Prepare pasta according to the box. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Prepare all of your veggies and herbs. Heat large skillet over medium-high heat and then add the oil. Saute the zucchini and onion in the pan for about 5 minutes. Then, add tomato, garlic, and mushrooms. Saute for 3 minutes. Next, remove skillet from heat and add 1/2 of the mozzarella, herbs, pepper, and 1/2 of the salt. Lightly beat the egg white in a separate bowl. Mix ricotta and remaining 1/2 of salt with the egg white. Then, stir the ricotta mixture into the pasta mixture. Spoon into an 8-inch pyrex baking dish (the recipe says to spray with cooking spray first but I didn't need to). Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and bake for about 15 minutes or until the dish is bubbling and the cheese is lightly brown.

The dish was a simple way to add more veggies to your meal. Also, the meal wasn't too heavy, making it perfect for summer. After making it once, I can also envision the dish with broccoli. Also, the flavor is pretty mild, so a stronger cheese may add another layer to it.