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Veggie Loaded Baked Pasta

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
  • ½ Cup Roughly Chopped Onion
  • 2 Carrots peeled and chopped
  • 1 Stalk Celery chopped
  • 1 Bell Pepper seeds and stem removed and chopped
  • ¾ Cup Diced Zucchini
  • 2 Cups Chopped Fresh Spinach
  • 1 Teaspoon Salt
  • ½ Teaspoon Black Pepper
  • ½ Teaspoon Garlic Powder
  • 26 Ounce Jar of Marinara
  • 1 Pound Cooked Medium Whole Wheat Shells
  • 4 Ounces Fresh Mozzarella Balls / Ciliegine halved
  • 2 Cups Low-Fat Shredded Mozzarella
  • Olive Oil
  • ½ Teaspoon Dried Oregano

Instructions

  1. Add onion, carrot, celery, bell pepper, and zucchini to a food processor. Pulse a few times until very finely chopped.
  2. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet over medium heat for a minute. Add the finely chopped vegetables and sauté for ten minutes until tender and cooked through. Stir in the marinara, salt, pepper, garlic powder, and spinach. Cook for five minutes over low heat.
  4. Add pasta and sauce to a large baking dish, mix well. Press the halved mozzarella balls into the pasta, distributing evenly. Top with shredded mozzarella. Sprinkle oregano over the cheese and drizzle a little bit of olive oil on top.
  5. Bake for 20-25 minutes uncovered in the oven. Let cool for five minutes before serving.
  6. If freezing: Bake pasta as usual and then freeze. To reheat, thaw out pasta morning of and then cover with foil and bake at 350 for 20 minutes until heated through. Frozen pasta will last for a month.