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healthy baked ziti in white casserole dish with one serving removed from pan.
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5 from 59 votes

Healthy Baked Ziti

This Healthy Baked Ziti is a hearty pasta dish with meat sauce and gooey cheese baked on top. Your family is going to obsess over this Italian-American comfort food made in just 35 minutes.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time20 minutes
Total Time35 minutes
Course: dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, Italian
Diet: Gluten Free
Servings: 6
Calories: 382kcal
Author: Courtney Paige

Equipment

  • Sauce pot
  • strainer
  • Knife
  • Cutting Board
  • skillet
  • Baking Dish
  • Meat spatula
  • cheese grater if cheese not already shredded
  • 9x12 casserole dish
  • Tin foil

Ingredients

  • 8 oz box ziti pasta see note below if box is 12 oz
  • 1 lbs lean ground beef 96% lean
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • ½ tbsp oil
  • ½ tbsp Italian seasoning
  • pinch red pepper flakes optional
  • ½ cup white onion diced
  • 1 cup spinach fresh or frozen
  • 26 oz pasta sauce of choice I used vodka sauce
  • ⅔ cup low fat shredded mozzarella
  • ½ cup shredded parmesan

Instructions

  • Start by preparing the noodles. Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook ziti pasta according to boxed instructions. Once cooked, strain and set aside.
  • Heat a large skillet to medium heat. Add oil and minced garlic to the skillet and sauté until fragrant. Add the ground beef and allow to brown. Break up the meat as it cooks.
  • Add in the Italian seasoning, diced white onions, and chopped spinach. Stir together. Cook until onions are translucent and beef is fully cooked.
  • Add pasta sauce to the meat mixture and mix together. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Spray a 3 quart dish with cooking spray. Add cooked ziti noodles into the casserole dish.
  • Pour the meat sauce over the noodles. Stir.
  • Top with both cheeses and cover with tinfoil. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the cheese is melted. If desired remove foil and broil the dish for 1-2 minutes until golden and bubble. Enjoy!

Notes

I recommend using regular pasta noodles. Plant-based alternatives ziti noodles did not hold up as well as regular noodles in recipe testing. If your box is 12 oz, use 32 oz of sauce.
You can assemble this ziti up to a day ahead of time and store the unbaked, assembled dish in the refrigerator. Bake the dish straight from the fridge and add ~10 minutes of baking time.
Store this dish in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 3 months. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 382kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 401mg | Potassium: 673mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 7g