Biggest Loser Baked Ziti (out of Prevention)

chrissyh

It may seem that baked ziti would have to be off-limits on the Biggest Loser meal plan, but fortunately, it's not so. From the new The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook.
While you don't want to eat baked ziti for every meal, it's no problem to enjoy as a treat every once in awhile, thanks to reduced-fat cheese and the fiber-enriched pastas that are now available. Remember, to maintain long-term weight loss it's important not to feel deprived. Enjoying much healthier versions of your favorite "cheat foods" from time to time can help keep you on track.

Makes 8 servings
Olive oil spray
1 (14 1/2-ounce) box fiber-enriched ziti or penne rigate (I used Ronzoni Smart Taste)
1 (15-ounce) container fat-free ricotta cheese
2 large egg whites
8 ounces (4 cups) finely shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Crushed red pepper flakes, to taste
3 1/2 cups low-fat, low-sodium, marinara sauce
2 tablespoons grated reduced-fat Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Lightly mist a 13" x 9" x 2" ceramic or glass baking dish with the olive oil spray.

Cook the ziti according to package directions until al dente. Drain.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, egg whites, and all but 1 cup of the mozzarella until well combined. Add the garlic powder and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Stir in the cooked pasta until well combined.

Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the prepared dish.

Add half of the pasta in an even layer over the sauce.

Layer the remaining pasta over the sauce. Spoon the remaining 1 1/2 cups sauce evenly over the top of the pasta, then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and the Parmesan over the top.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes longer, or until the mozzarella is melted. Let stand 5 minutes. Cut into 8 pieces or spoon among 8 bowls and serve.

Nutrition at a Glance
Per serving: 350 calories, 22 g protein, 57 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat (3 g saturated), 20 mg cholesterol, 8 g fiber, 429 mg sodium


I made this Friday night for supper - whole family loved it - just ate the last little bit for lunch....it is SO good! Next time I am going to try to add some fresh spinach, maybe mushrooms and onions too...

LittleSpy

Sounds yummy. I'll probably be making this this week. It's about time for a good comfort foodish pasta dish. Thanks!

Hannah_Banana

I made this (prior to having to watch my carbs) and I can attest that it is DELICIOUS. My taste buds still feel unnecessarily guilty. :laugh:

Something you can do (if its in your budget) to lower cals even more is use FiberGourmet pasta. Its got a little more than half the calories of regular pasta and like 75% more fiber (18g a serving a I think).

http://www.fibergourmet.com/Penne.aspx

debnu1

I just had to save this one, looks yummy!! Thanks Chrissy!:flowerforyou:

LittleSpy

Something you can do (if its in your budget) to lower cals even more is use FiberGourmet pasta. Its got a little more than half the calories of regular pasta and like 75% more fiber (18g a serving a I think).

http://www.fibergourmet.com/Penne.aspx

:noway: Holy cow!! That's a lot of fiber! Tummies sure would be rumbling after that. But the 130 calories per serving makes me want to try it (especially since the serving size is the same as regular pasta). Glutton for punishment... :laugh:

sunlover67

bump:flowerforyou:

Hannah_Banana

Something you can do (if its in your budget) to lower cals even more is use FiberGourmet pasta. Its got a little more than half the calories of regular pasta and like 75% more fiber (18g a serving a I think).

http://www.fibergourmet.com/Penne.aspx

:noway: Holy cow!! That's a lot of fiber! Tummies sure would be rumbling after that. But the 130 calories per serving makes me want to try it (especially since the serving size is the same as regular pasta). Glutton for punishment... :laugh:

Hehe, surprisingly it never bothered me a bit. And I generally had two servings at a time! Everybody's body is different though, so I'd definitely work my way up to it slowly. A friend of mine started by mixing it with a serving of reg pasta - there really isn't a huge taste difference (I used to eat it as just the noodles and a serving of Parmesan cheese).

I always feel like these guys should pay me to plug them, I just really think they've got a great product.

blakgarnet

bump for later

patrice27

sounds yummy- can not wait to try it

Momma2four

sounds great, thanks for sharing

lildebbie

we have the biggest looser cookbooks and get lots of stuff out of them. This is one of our favorites. We usally make 1/2 of the receipe just for us...but it is good thing to make we had company this weekend and we made the whole thing.

We use the Rotini pasta for it.

chrissyh

we have the biggest looser cookbooks and get lots of stuff out of them. This is one of our favorites. We usally make 1/2 of the receipe just for us...but it is good thing to make we had company this weekend and we made the whole thing.

We use the Rotini pasta for it.

Tell us some of your other favs.......

LittleSpy

This was alright but I'm confused.

8 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese is not 4 cups. It's 2 cups. And if you use 4 cups, you're increasing the calorie content by about 80 calories per serving.

I used 3 (measured by weight, not volume) and it was decently cheesy (oh how I love cheese).

Also, I found it to be a bit bland. And this was after I added basil & a little extra garlic to the ricotta. I'll admit I like boldly flavored food. Next time I'm definitely ramping up the garlic and basil as well as adding some yummy veggies like mushrooms, onions, and maybe spinach like someone else suggested.

Overall, nice base recipe, so thanks a bunch for posting!

Edit: ridiculous typos

vipersgirl28

This sounds soo yummy. I will have to make it next time hubby is home.

mavsfan2009

This was alright but I'm confused.

8 ounces of shredded mozzarella cheese is not 4 cups. It's 2 cups. And if you use 4 cups, you're increasing the calorie content by about 80 calories per serving.

I used 3 (measured by weight, not volume) and it was decently cheesy (oh how I love cheese).

Also, I found it to be a bit bland. And this was after I added basil & a little extra garlic to the ricotta. I'll admit I like boldly flavored food. Next time I'm definitely ramping up the garlic and basil as well as adding some yummy veggies like mushrooms, onions, and maybe spinach like someone else suggested.

Overall, nice base recipe, so thanks a bunch for posting!

Edit: ridiculous typos

I agree, it was a little bland. My big problem was that I felt like there needed to be less ricotta and more sauce. I shouldve added some extra seasoning as well. I meant to put in mushrooms but I was in such a hurry to have it done that I forgot

Overall, it was pretty good and my boyfriend really liked it, too. I think I'll just do less ricotta and more marinara next time...possibly add ground turkey as well!! Thanks for the recipe.

iamladibeast

Thanks for the recipe...made this tonight with collard greens and everyone loved it...thanks a bundle...:bigsmile: