Healthier Baked Ziti

This easy and comforting dish is made healthier with turkey sausage, lots of great veggies, and less cheese than traditional baked ziti.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 60 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins
• Calories: 485 Calories

Ingredients

• 1 onion, chopped
• ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 (26 ounce) jars spaghetti sauce
• 1 head broccoli, cut into florets
• ¾ cup reduced-fat sour cream
• 1 pound ziti pasta
• 1 bunch fresh spinach, or more to taste
• 1 pound Italian turkey sausage
• 6 ounces smoked fresh mozzarella cheese, diced

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

Step 2

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook ziti in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 8 minutes. Drain and transfer pasta to a bowl and toss with spinach and sour cream.

Step 3

Heat a large skillet over medium heat; cook and stir sausage, onion, carrots, and garlic until onion is translucent and sausage is no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Add spaghetti sauce and broccoli to sausage mixture and simmer until sauce mixture is heated through, about 15 minutes.

Step 4

Layer 1/2 of the ziti mixture into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread 1/2 of the fresh mozzarella cheese, 1/2 of the sauce mixture, the remaining ziti mixture, and fresh mozzarella cheese, respectively, into the baking dish. Sprinkle shredded mozzarella cheese over the dish. Cover dish with aluminum foil.

Step 5

Bake in the preheated oven until cheeses have melted, about 20 minutes. Remove the aluminum foil and cook until top is lightly browned, about 10 minutes more.