Delicious Low Fat One Dish Pasta Dinner
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 55 minutes
Description: 🍝 A rich-tasting and yummy vegetarian dinner with tangy tomato sauce and filling low-fat cheeses. Check out the picture! It’s a layered dish so it looks pretty too! Uses just ONE TEASPOON of oil! I think you could add a meat layer to it if you wanted to.
Recipe Category: One Dish Meal
Keywords: Cheese, Vegetable, European, Kid Friendly, Potluck, Less than 60 Minutes, Oven
Ingredients:
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| Pasta | 1 |
| Part-skim ricotta cheese | 1 |
| Fat-free cottage cheese | 1 |
| Garlic cloves | 1/2 |
| Parmesan cheese | 3 |
| Black pepper | 2 |
| Zucchini | 1/4 |
| Onion | 2 |
| Olive oil | 1/2 |
| Dried oregano | 1 |
| Dried basil | 1/4 |
| Salt | 1 |
| Water | 1/2 |
| Reduced-fat mozzarella cheese | 1 |
Nutritional Information (per serving):
- Calories: 361.7
- Fat Content: 7.3g
- Saturated Fat Content: 3.1g
- Cholesterol Content: 16.4mg
- Sodium Content: 590.7mg
- Carbohydrate Content: 57.4g
- Fiber Content: 4.2g
- Sugar Content: 9.2g
- Protein Content: 15.9g
Servings: 6
Recipe Instructions:
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Prepare Pasta: Begin by cooking the pasta in boiling salted water for 1-2 minutes less than the package directions indicate, ensuring it remains quite firm and slightly undercooked. Once done, drain the pasta and return it to the pan.
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Toss with Sauce: Toss the pasta with about 2/3 of the can of spaghetti sauce until evenly coated. Set it aside to cool while you prepare the other components.
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Prepare Cheese Mixture: In a separate bowl, mix together the ricotta cheese, fat-free cottage cheese, grated Parmesan cheese, and black pepper until smooth. Set aside for later use.
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Prepare Vegetable Mixture: In a skillet, sauté the zucchini, onion, and garlic cloves in olive oil until they begin to soften. Add dried oregano, dried basil, salt, and water to the skillet, and continue cooking until the water has evaporated and the vegetables are tender-crisp. Be careful not to let the onion burn. Once done, set the vegetable mixture aside.
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Assemble the Dish: Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Spray a 2-quart casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray (such as Pam).
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Layering: Begin layering the ingredients in the prepared casserole dish as follows:
- Spread about half of the cooled pasta evenly across the bottom of the dish, using the back of a spoon to pat it down.
- Next, evenly spread the prepared ricotta cheese mixture over the pasta layer.
- Follow with a layer of the sautéed zucchini mixture, ensuring it nestles into the ricotta cheese layer.
- Sprinkle about half of the reduced-fat mozzarella cheese over the zucchini layer.
- Add the remaining pasta on top of the mozzarella cheese layer.
- Pour the remaining spaghetti sauce evenly over the top layer of pasta.
- Finally, sprinkle the remaining reduced-fat mozzarella cheese over the sauce.
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Bake: Place the assembled casserole dish in the preheated oven and bake for approximately 35 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and bubbly, and the dish is heated through.
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Serve: Once baked, remove the dish from the oven and allow it to cool slightly before serving.
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Enjoy: Serve this delicious low-fat one-dish pasta dinner hot, and enjoy its rich flavors and hearty textures with family and friends.
This dish is not only flavorful and satisfying but also relatively healthy, making it perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner or a cozy family meal. With its combination of tangy tomato sauce, creamy cheeses, and savory vegetables, it’s sure to become a favorite in your household. Plus, since it’s all prepared in one dish, cleanup is a breeze!
