I assumed my days of regular pasta eating were behind me, but this low calorie Baked Ziti Recipe has given me a way to enjoy a much beloved Italian dish, without sacrificing too many of my points.
Simply by subbing out a few of the higher calorie ingredients for lower calorie versions, I was able to make this baked ziti pasta and keep it diet friendly, yet maintain its fabulous taste.
Anyone who is looking for a lower point version of Baked Ziti with Ground Beef will love this recipe!
BAKED ZITI PASTA RECIPE
It’s like a lasagna without the fuss! This classic casserole recipe is the epitome of comfort food, and is perfect for when you need a hot dish to bring to a potluck.
Ingredients
- 12 oz Ronzoni Smart Taste Pasta
- 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup chopped mushrooms
- 1 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese - (shredded)
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 4 garlic cloves - (minced)
- 1 small yellow onion - (finely chopped)
- 8 oz extra lean ground beef - (96/4)
- 1 tsp oregano
- ¼ cup fresh basil - (finely chopped)
- 1 tsp thyme
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta according to package directions; drain and set aside.
- Meanwhile, heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat; add onions and garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add beef and cook until browned, breaking up meat with a spoon as it cooks about 3 to 5 minutes; drain off any fat and set the pan back over medium heat.
- Add the oregano, basil, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook about 2 minutes. Add tomatoes and mushrooms and bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Spoon a small amount of beef-tomato mixture into bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish (just enough to cover surface); top with half of the cooked pasta. Next, layer with half of remaining beef-tomato sauce and half of the mozzarella cheese. Layer with remaining pasta and then top with remaining beef-tomato sauce; sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese is golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes. Cut into 6 pieces.
Notes
Entire recipe makes 6 servings
Serving size is 1/6th of the dish
Nutrition
Calories: 305 kcal (15%)Carbohydrates: 39.5 g (13%)Protein: 22.9 g (46%)Fat: 7.1 g (11%)Saturated Fat: 2.7 g (17%)Cholesterol: 35 mg (12%)Sodium: 396 mg (17%)Potassium: 171 mg (5%)Fiber: 7.9 g (33%)Sugar: 8.4 g (9%)Calcium: 270 mg (27%)Iron: 4.5 mg (25%)
Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!
26 Comments
Instructions mention rosemary, but it’s not mentioned in the ingredients list or how much.
That was a typo! There is no rosemary used in the recipe. I corrected the post. Thanks for catching that!
If I wanted to prepare this this for freezing and baking later what might I do? Thank you
All you need to do is cook the dish, let it cool to room temp, then divide it up into separate, individual portions and place in a freezer safe container. Then just go ahead and freeze it! :)
serving size said 1 piece. What is one piece with a casseroles?
I’ve been looking for a WW friendly ziti recipe. I am making this tonight for dinner. I am replacing the beef with ground turkey. This recipe is 10 points+ per serving not 5.
Added spinach, and used chopped turkey instead of ground beef (had some leftover in the fridge & needed to use it up!). Can’t wait to try it smells divine!
I made this tonight and added half a block of greek yogurt cream cheese to the sauce. Delish!
Anyone know the calories per serving?
I made this last night for dinner. I recently went back on weight watchers but this time my husband is home & not overseas. It is much harder with him around. LOL as he likes dinners every night. So I found this recipe and made it. I loved it and he did as well! Its very filling so one portion is definitely enough. I WILL be making this alot. Thank you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This turned out awesome! Thanks so much for the great recipe!
With the new points plus system, this recipe is 8 points/serving when using fat free mozzarella and only 1 tsp of olive oil
Would substituting with gr. turkey lessen the points? Do you suggest that, or do you think the slight amount of fat in the beef helps with flavor?
This is posted last year, but I was wondering if this recipe is for the old WW or the new Points Plus?
This recipe was calculated with the old Points. I’m still trying to find the time to convert all my old recipes into the new Points Plus format.
This is in my oven as we speak but i added 3 more points me my hubby wanted kalbasa and more cheese lol….so i am looking so forward to this dish! smells soooo good night now <3 <3<3
Had to make some changes due to ingredients on hand: used 7% fat beef, 8 oz whole grain noodles and added 1/3 cup parm cheese. With these changes it comes out to be 7 poins per serving (6 servings total). I used the new points plus system to calculate points. Yummy, yummy! Thanks for all the great recipes; makes cooking while on WW a lot easier.
I made this tonight… My family LOVED it!
Another question I have been wondering about pasta….do you measure the 2 oz dry or cooked? This has always stumped me. Thanks for your site and sharing your knowledge with us all!
I always measure the pasta dry. The water adds about 3x the weight when the pasta is cooked. When you are reading the nutritional label on the box, the serving weight that it lists is usually the dry pasta unless otherwise stated.
Recipe is great! But are you sure it's only 5 pts? I figured the noodles are 5 pts alone..not counting meat, cheese and oil. Let me know how you figured it please! I'd much rather it be 5 pts!
It is only 5 Points! Keep in mind that the entire recipe has 6 servings, and each serving only has about 2oz of pasta, . Also, I used a high fiber pasta which also helps keep the Points lower than using traditional pasta. So you can enjoy it and take comfort in the fact that it really is only 5 Points!
Making this for the 9th time this year!! THIS IS TO DIE for! My whole family loves it!
This is by far my favorite recipe. GREAT flavor and the serving was actually big! I was full!!!
We tried 3 of your recipes this week with great success! They were delicious. Thank you for gifting these recipes that the entire household can eat with pleasure. Your baked ziti is definitely on my list for this week!
Thanks for posting this. I can't wait to try it!