help me makeover my baked ziti please!

Definitely keep with the low fat dairy products, try using a lower fat ground beef like 93% 7%, replace the meat sauce with an organic low sodium pasta sauce, try using a veggie pasta, or whole wheat pasta. All of those things will not only bring down the calories but add nutrients. Sounds like a good recipe, good luck!

How many servings does your recipe make? You make small changes to this that will make it a little lower in calories. Substitute gorund turkey. Jennie-o makes a Italian seasoned variety that works well with meatballs etc. PArt skim mozzerella and substitute cottage cheese for the ricotta. If you want the ricotta, look for a low fat kind. Whole wheat pasta too

Whole wheat pasta, 93% fat or 95% fat beef (or 99% fat turkey), nonfat ricotta. Look for a sauce with less calories or make your own.

Sounds delicious though...

Use 1/2 low fat spicy turkey sausage and 1/2 ground black beans to retain flavor and cut fat. Use less cheeses. I don't recommend low fat because they are "a chemical **** storm". Add veggies like peppers,. Squash, onions, and what have you to your sauce. Serve smaller portions and great salads of kale, onion, mushroom, beans, berries, and seeds with homemade dressing. Serve smaller portions on plates and leave the cooking dish in the oven. Serve heavy fat filled meals like this with a light dessert like jello fruit angel cake and announce before hand you are doing so so they save room.

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Agree with everything the others have said... But your problem is that every single ingredient on the list is high calorie. If you add in low calorie ingredients, then you will be able to eat a lot more. Roasted eggplant or zucchini maybe?

One quick way to cut a little fat is to use a lower fat/sugar/sodium sauce. Walnut Acres - Organic No Salt Added Tomato and Basil Pasta Sauce is a great one if you can find it in your area. An entire jar has only 270 calories, not fat and no only 90 mg of sodium. Compare that to Prego Heart Smart at 350 calories, 7.5 grams of fat and 1800 mg of sodium! Another trick is to use low fat cottage cheese (blend it in a food processor to make it creamy). For comparison, Daisy Low Fat Cottage Cheese has 180 calories in one cup while part skim ricotta has 320. Fat free cottage cheese is much higher in sodium so I avoid it. Why not use extra lean ground pork? That makes it a Bolognese sauce. One pound has 600 calories and 20 grams of fat. It's more than ground turkey but gives a good flavor and might be a good compromise.

You could also make your normal version for your family and then try a healthier version out as well. Yes it is a bit more effort but you would have leftovers for another night.

Baked Ziti (from the biggest loser family cook book )

Olive oil spray
1(14 1/2 oz) box fiber enriched ziti or penne rigate ( I used Ronzoni Smart Taste)
1 (15 oz) container fat free ricotti cheese
2 large egg whites
8 ounces (4 cups) finely shredded reduced fat mozzarella cheese
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
crushed red pepper flakes to taste
Main Event Marinara Sauce or 3 1/2 cups other low fat , low sodium marinara
2 Tbsp grated reduced fat Parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 450. Lightly list a 13x9x2 ceramic or glass baking dish with olive oil spray. Cook the ziti according to package directions until al dente. Drain. In 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. Top the pasta evenly with another 1 cup sauce. Layer the remaining pasta over the sauce. Spoon the remaining 1 1/2 cups sauce evenly over the top of the pasta, the sprinkle with remaining mozzarella and the parmesan over the top. Cover the dish with 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.

Makes 8 servings..Per serving: 350 calories, 22 g protein, 57g carbs, 6g fat 20mg cholesterol 8g fiber 429mg sodium

Main Event Marinara sauce

Olive oil spray
1 cup minced yellow or white onion
2 Tbsp freshly minced garlic
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp. no salt added tomato paste
2 tsp. honey
1 tbsp. dried oregano
2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
salt to taste (optional)

Spray a medium nonstick saucepan with the olive oil spray and place over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until just becoming tender (they should not brown), 4 to 6 minutes.Reduce the heat to low and with a wooden spoon stir in the tomatoes, water, tomato paste, honey, oregano, basil, and pepper flakes until we combined. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, for at least 1 hour. Season with salt if needed.

Makes 7(1/2 cup) servings: about 3 1/2 cups sauce
Per Serving: 63 calories, 3g protein, 15g carbs, less than 1g fat, 3g fiber 156mg sodium

Both of these recipes are yummy ..Enjoy

Ground beef grosses me out - that gristle and grease, yuck! I only use ground turkey. But don't use the 99% lean turkey - it's too dry. Cut out some of the cheese. Don't use canned meat sauce, just use marinara (i make my own) - why would you need meat sauce if you're already adding your own meat? :drinker:

I LOVE all Italian dishes...but since cutting out all dairy, processed foods and gluten, It's rare that I get to indulge However, I still have managed to get my fix in. I use gluten free noodles (usually made out of quinoa or brown rice flour)...tastes great and you honestly can't tell the difference. WAY more nutrients. Also, I use ricotta nut cheese instead of ricotta. Sounds seriously crazy, but it's honestly SO good and you can't tell the difference. My fiance eats meat daily and usually turns his nose up to my meals, but I made lasagna with this nut cheese, and it's his favorite lasagna recipe now. So simple to make too! Here's the link: http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com/2010/06/vegan-chive-ricotta-nut-cheese-spread.html

I also would sub a large can or two of italian spiced crushed tomatoes with sauteed onions and garlic (in coconut oil). Saves on calories! I don't eat meat, so removing the beef would be an instant calorie saver. Maybe try adding veggies (peppers, onions, etc.) instead.

You might get a fair reduction by using regular sauce without meat. Maybe a basil tomato. Or do a four cheese sauce and leave the parmesian out of it, but I think parmesian is low in calories anyway. I would be doing sausage instead of hamburger, bigger flavor. Calories are higher though.

Honestly, my solution would be a five mile run followed by wa ting all the ziti...

And ignore a suggestion to sub cottage cheese for ricotta. Its so wrong, I dont know where to begin...

I'd rather sub a little cottage cheese than run 5 miles any day.

Forget the cottage cheese. Nonfat ricotta is 45 calories for 1/4 of a cup... it's about the same as nonfat cottage cheese. I don't know why people are trying to switch something that won't even save calories.

I agree though, using a ton of beef plus some meat sauce just seems overkill. Just use plain sauce.

I make this at least every other month, family and friends love it.

Original recipe makes 10 servingsChange Servings
1 pound dry ziti pasta
1 onion, chopped
1 pound lean ground beef
2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 1/2 cups sour cream
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
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Directions

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add ziti pasta, and cook until al dente, about 8 minutes; drain.
In a large skillet, brown onion and ground beef over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce, and simmer 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Butter a 9x13 inch baking dish. Layer as follows: 1/2 of the ziti, Provolone cheese, sour cream, 1/2 sauce mixture, remaining ziti, mozzarella cheese and remaining sauce mixture. Top with grated Parmesan cheese.
Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until cheeses are melted.