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Twisted Baked Ziti

VegetarianItalianCheesy

Time: 1 hour

Yield: 4 servings

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About

There's so, so much cheese in this Twisted Baked Ziti! Mixed into the tender pasta and herbaceous pesto is tangy ricotta and melty, creamy mozzarella! Then on top you find even more mozzarella and nutty parmesan! But that isn't the biggest twist behind Twisted Baked Ziti! The twist is summer's favorite veggie, zucchini, mixed right into the pasta! A tasty twist indeed!

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Ingredients

  • 1 (16-ounce) box ziti
  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 4 medium zucchini, sliced into rounds or chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 3 tablespoons prepared pesto
  • 1 cup fresh basil, packed and chopped, plus more, to taste, for topping
  • 12 ounces ricotta cheese
  • 1 (12-ounce) package fresh mozzarella cheese, sliced
  • parmesan cheese, optional, to taste, grated, for serving

Directions

Step 1 -Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Step 2 -In a pot of salted, boiling water, cook the ziti to al dente, according to the package directions.

Step 3 -Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water, draining the remainder.

Step 4 -In a large cast-iron skillet over medium-low heat, add the olive oil.

Step 5 -Add the zucchini, the garlic, the salt, and the black pepper to the hot oil and stir to combine.

Step 6 -Cook the zucchini mixture, while stirring often, until the zucchini starts to cook down, about 6-8 minutes.

Step 7 -Add the red pepper flakes to the zucchini mixture and stir to combine.

Step 8 -Add the reserved pasta water and the pesto to the zucchini mixture and stir to combine.

Step 9 -Add 1 cup of the basil to the zucchini mixture and stir to combine.

Step 10 -Add the cooked ziti to the zucchini mixture and toss to combine.

Step 11 -Add the ricotta cheese in scoops throughout the pasta mixture and toss until the ricotta coats the ziti.

Step 12 -Add about 1/2 of the mozzarella slices to the zucchini mixture and stir to combine.

Step 13 -Place the remaining mozzarella slices on top of the zucchini mixture.

Step 14 -Bake the ziti mixture until the cheese melts, about 20-25 minutes.

Step 15 -Serve sprinkled with the parmesan and the extra basil.

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