Vegetarian Baked Ziti

 Vegetarian Baked Ziti

Get rid of the meat without sacrificing flavor. This recipe for cheese ziti is the best Italian baked ziti recipe. It's a real crowd-pleaser.

Serves: 6

Preparation Time: 15 min

Cooking Time: 1 hr
Ingredients
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
2 teaspoons garlic, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
14 1/2 ounces can whole tomatoes, crushed, undrained
8 ounces can tomato sauce
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
nonstick cooking spray
10 ounces package chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
8 ounces low fat ricotta cheese
2 egg substitutes, lightly beaten
8 ounces uncooked ziti pasta
1 cup low fat mozzarella cheese, grated
1/2 cup low fat Parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
Cook pasta per package directions.

In a medium saucepan, saute peppers, mushrooms, onion, and garlic in hot oil until tender. Add the next 7 ingredients. Bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, spray a 11x9x2-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine spinach, ricotta, and egg, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

After ziti is cooked and drained, combine ziti with sauce. Fold in ricotta mixture.

Spoon half of mixture into baking dish, top with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese, spoon remaining half of ziti into baking dish, and top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.