This recipe checks all of the packing containers for the sort of meals I wish to usher me into the brand new yr. It’s healthful and comforting (sure, it’s potential to have each!), and it’s handy – simple to drag collectively, make forward and reheat.
It’s a better-for-you spin on a well-known favourite, baked ziti, made with whole-grain pasta (though common pasta could be high-quality when you favor it), filled with greens – sautéed mushrooms, broccoli and sun-dried tomatoes – and made tacky and creamy with a extra healthful than normal steadiness of part-skim ricotta, mozzarella and Parmesan.
Baked till bubbly inside and melty and golden on high, it’s the sort of dish that’s like a comfortable spot within the solar on a chilly winter’s day.
This recipe makes 8 to 10 servings, so it’s a simple cook-once-eat-twice scenario for many households. Once I’m simply cooking for my husband and myself, quite than baking it unexpectedly in a 9-by-13-inch pan, I divide the batch into two 8-by-8-inch baking dishes and place one, tightly lined, within the freezer to double the dinner-at-the-ready payoff.
It’s a simple win to kick off 2022.
Three-Cheese Pasta and Vegetable Bake
1 pound entire grain or common penne pasta, or different tube-shaped pasta
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing the pan
1 pound child bella (cremini) mushrooms, sliced
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 (16-ounce) bag frozen broccoli, defrosted (could substitute with 5 cups blanched contemporary chopped broccoli)
7 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in scorching water for 10 minutes, drained and thinly sliced (about ⅓ cup)
1 teaspoon dried basil
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon high-quality sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly floor black pepper
1 (16-ounce) container part-skim ricotta cheese
4 cups marinara sauce (do-it-yourself or store-bought)
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
¼ cup (½ ounce) grated Parmesan cheese
Chopped contemporary flat-leaf parsley, for serving (optionally available)
Convey a big pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and prepare dinner for two minutes lower than advised within the bundle instructions. Drain and return the pasta to the pot.
In the meantime, place a rack in the course of the oven and preheat to 375 levels. Brush a 9-by-13-inch ovenproof dish with oil.
In a big skillet over medium warmth, warmth the oil till shimmering. Add the mushrooms and prepare dinner, stirring sometimes, till their liquid evaporates and so they start to brown, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and prepare dinner, stirring ceaselessly, till fragrant, 2 minutes extra. Add the broccoli, sun-dried tomatoes, basil, oregano, salt and pepper and stir to mix.
Add the greens to the drained pasta within the pot, together with the ricotta and marinara, and stir to mix nicely. Switch the combination to the ready dish and evenly unfold it out. Sprinkle the highest with the mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses, and canopy the dish loosely with foil.
Bake for quarter-hour, then take away the foil and bake for a further 20 to 25 minutes, or till the sauce is effervescent and the cheese is melted. Let sit for 10 minutes earlier than serving.
Yield: 8 to 10 servings
Storage notes: Refrigerate for as much as 4 days, or cowl tightly and freeze for as much as 3 months.
Ellie Krieger is a cookbook creator and registered nutritionist.
