Baked Ziti with Italian Meat Sauce

Italian sausage

🥗Healthier: ground turkey

💰Cheaper: ground beef

Ground turkey reduces fat while maintaining flavor.

mozzarella cheese

🥗Healthier: part-skim mozzarella

💰Cheaper: cheddar cheese

Part-skim mozzarella has fewer calories while still melting well.

parmesan cheese

🥗Healthier: nutritional yeast

💰Cheaper: grated pecorino

Nutritional yeast is a vegan alternative that adds a cheesy flavor.

ground beef

🥗Healthier: lean ground beef

💰Cheaper: ground turkey

Lean ground beef has less fat, while ground turkey is often cheaper.

Grate 8 oz of fresh mozzarella cheese using a food processor.

Grate 7 oz of parmesan cheese.

Boil a pot of water, adding enough salt to make it taste like sea water.

Cook the entire box of pasta until al dente, about 1 minute less than package instructions.

Reserve half a cup of pasta water before draining the pasta.

Add the reserved pasta water to the cooked pasta to help loosen the dish if needed.

Mix the cooked pasta with half of the mozzarella cheese, half of the parmesan cheese, and 2 cups of the prepared meat sauce.

Gently fold the mixture to avoid breaking the pasta.

Transfer the pasta mixture into a 13x9 lasagna dish.

Top with an additional 2 cups of meat sauce and the remaining cheese.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 25 minutes.

Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes until bubbly.

Let cool slightly before serving.

Cooking Techniques

Equipment Needed

Spice Level:

Allergens