EASY low-calorie baked ziti!

Ryan would eat pasta for absolutely every single meal if he could. Hello carbohydrates! He loves all types of pasta, so whenever I find an easy pasta recipe, I add it to my repertoire. Here is a yummy, easy, low-calorie baked ziti recipe that I got out of my Biggest Loser Family Cookbook, which doesn't even taste low-calorie!

Baked Ziti

(makes 8 servings)

350 calories per serving, 22 g protein, 57 g carbohydrates, 6 g fat, 20 mg cholesterol, 8 g fiber, 420 mg sodium

Ingredients:

1 box/bag of fiber-enriched ziti or penne rigate (Smart Taste is great!)

1 15 ounce container fat-free ricotta cheese

2 large egg whites

8 ounces (4 cups) of reduced fat mozzarella cheese

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

marinara sauce ( i used kroger's brand of organic spaghetti sauce)

2 tablespoons grated reduced-fat Parm. Cheese

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Mist a baking dish with olive oil spray.

Cook the ziti according to package directions until al dente. Drain.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the ricotta, egg whites, and all but 1 cup of the mozzarella until well combined.

Add the garlic powder and season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. I always add Krazy Jane's Mixed-Up Salt..... to EVERYTHING. It's a yummy treasure I found at Kroger!

STir in the cooked pasta until well combined.

Spread 1 cup of the marinara sauce on the bottom of the prepared dish. Add half of the pasta in an even layer over the sauce. Top the pasta evenly with another 1 cup sauce. Layer the remaining pasta over the sauce.

Spoon the remaining 1 1/2 cups sauce evenly over the top of the pasta, then sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and the parm. cheese over the top.

Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake 10 minutes longer, or until the mozzarella is melted. Let stand 5 minutes. I took a picture of the end result, but it didn't turn out very well. :(

enjoy!