Veggie Baked Ziti

This was so good. Our family loved it. I added some ground turkey to it, and more seasonings. Next time I may make it with red lentil pasta, or chickpea pasta instead. We had it with salads. Definitely a keeper.

I had to make a few substitutions for what I had on hand: Organic ziti instead of whole wheat, fat-free cottage cheese instead of ricotta, purple pepper instead of red (from the garden), Monterey jack instead of mozzarella, Italian seasoning instead of fresh basil. The recipe was easy enough to follow and I think could be easily modified to suit individual taste (e.g. my wife isn't fond of black pepper so I omitted) and additional ingredients could be added/substituted such as additional squash varieties or even fresh, diced tomatoes. Next time I may even add sausage for a little extra kick. There wasn't much aroma as the dish baked so I was a bit skeptical as to how it would turn out and (the real test) if the teens would approve. The flavor wasn't "amazing!", but I did have more than the allotted 3"x3" serving. I will definitely make this again with a few modifications (fresh basil, sausage).

Instead of just black pepper and basil, I recommend creating a spice mix of:

- 1/4 tsp salt (omit if you can't have added salt)
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 1/4 tsp dried basil or Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp smoked or sweet paprika (your choice)

Pour the spices in with the ricotta, egg and parmesan cheese before mixing.

This spice mix adds a really delicious flavor to any vegetable or chicken dish.

I tried this recipe just after being diagnosed with type-2. I don't like cooking, but I've had to start doing so. This recipe was super easy and tasted very good. I omitted the onions and added sauteed mushrooms and fresh garlic for a touch more flavor. I will definitely add this to my meal prep rotation!