Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies

This is another recipe that I tore out of Cooking Light a while ago and forgot about. So glad I found it again and decided to try it, it turned out delicious! I have been working crazy hours lately so I did a lot of the prep work (like chopping the squash and onion) ahead of time. It came together very quickly! The recipe also had a lot of "wiggle room" as I made several tweaks that I noted below. Not major changes, just things that would work better with what I had on hand and would require less measuring.

Baked Ziti and Summer Veggies

Ingredients
4 ounces uncooked ziti (I used half a box of whole wheat shells)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups chopped yellow squash (I used two squashes)
1 cup chopped zucchini (I used two squashes)
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cups chopped tomato (I used a can of diced tomatoes)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano (I used about a half teaspoon of dried Italian herbs)
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup (2 ounces) part-skim ricotta cheese (I used whole milk ricotta)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
Cooking spray (I never use cooking spray, just a little olive oil)

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain.
2. Preheat oven to 400°.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to pan. Add squash, zucchini, and onion; sauté 5 minutes. Add tomato and garlic; sauté 3 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in pasta, 1/2 cup mozzarella, herbs, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper.
4. Combine ricotta, remaining salt, and egg. Stir into pasta mixture. Spoon into an 8-inch square glass or ceramic baking dish coated with cooking spray; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella. Bake at 400° for 15 minutes or until bubbly and browned.
Blakeslee Wright, Cooking Light
JULY 2011