{"id":1246,"date":"2025-11-14T07:01:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-14T07:01:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/14\/baked-ziti\/"},"modified":"2025-11-14T07:01:50","modified_gmt":"2025-11-14T07:01:50","slug":"baked-ziti","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/14\/baked-ziti\/","title":{"rendered":"Baked Ziti"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Baked Ziti with a Healthy Twist<\/h2>\n<p>Looking for a delicious, comforting meal that&#8217;s loaded with flavor but still keeps health in mind? This Baked Ziti recipe celebrates wholesome ingredients without compromising on taste. Picture melty cheese, savory sauce, and al dente pasta all enveloped in a delightful, nutritious bake. Let\u2019s dive right into this scrumptious dish!<\/p>\n<h3>Ingredients<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>12 ounces whole wheat ziti pasta<\/li>\n<li>2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil<\/li>\n<li>1 medium onion, finely chopped<\/li>\n<li>3 garlic cloves, minced<\/li>\n<li>1 pound lean ground turkey or chicken (substitute with tofu for a vegetarian option)<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon dried oregano<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon dried basil<\/li>\n<li>1\/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, for extra heat)<\/li>\n<li>Salt and black pepper to taste<\/li>\n<li>1 jar (about 24 ounces) organic marinara sauce<\/li>\n<li>2 cups fresh spinach, chopped<\/li>\n<li>1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese<\/li>\n<li>1\/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese<\/li>\n<li>1 1\/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided<\/li>\n<li>Fresh basil leaves for garnish<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Preparation<\/h3>\n<h4>Step 1: Cook the Pasta<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the ziti pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. This usually takes about 8-10 minutes.<\/li>\n<li>Drain the pasta and set it aside.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4>Step 2: Prepare the Sauce<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Preheat your oven to 375\u00b0F (190\u00b0C).<\/li>\n<li>In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat.<\/li>\n<li>Add the chopped onion and saut\u00e9 for 3-4 minutes until translucent.<\/li>\n<li>Stir in the minced garlic and cook for another 1 minute until fragrant.<\/li>\n<li>Add the lean ground turkey or chicken to the skillet. Cook for about 5-7 minutes, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until browned and fully cooked.<\/li>\n<li>Season the meat with oregano, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and black pepper.<\/li>\n<li>Pour in the marinara sauce and bring it to a simmer. Let it cook for 10 minutes, allowing the flavors to meld.<\/li>\n<li>Stir in the chopped spinach until it wilts into the sauce.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4>Step 3: Assemble the Ziti<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>In a large mixing bowl, combine the cooked ziti, meat sauce, and ricotta cheese. Mix until well incorporated.<\/li>\n<li>Stir in 1 cup of the shredded mozzarella cheese and half of the Parmesan cheese.<\/li>\n<li>Transfer the pasta mixture into a 9&#215;13-inch baking dish.<\/li>\n<li>Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella and Parmesan cheeses evenly over the top.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h4>Step 4: Bake and Serve<\/h4>\n<ol>\n<li>Cover the baking dish with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes.<\/li>\n<li>Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown.<\/li>\n<li>Remove from the oven and let it cool for a few minutes.<\/li>\n<li>Garnish with fresh basil leaves before serving.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3>Recipe Summary<\/h3>\n<p>This Healthy Baked Ziti recipe is the perfect blend of comfort and nutrition. It serves about 8 portions and each serving is only approximately 380 calories. The preparation time is around 20 minutes, and the baking time adds another 40 minutes, making this a delightful meal ready in just about an hour. Ideal for family dinners or potlucks, this satisfying dish brings everyone together with its flavorful heartiness. Enjoy every bite of this nutritious delight!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Baked Ziti with a Healthy Twist Looking for a delicious, comforting meal that&#8217;s loaded with flavor but still keeps health in mind? This Baked Ziti recipe celebrates wholesome ingredients without compromising on taste. Picture melty cheese, savory sauce, and al dente pasta all enveloped in a delightful, nutritious bake. Let\u2019s dive right into this scrumptious [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":1245,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[70],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1246","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-main"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/image-9.png","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1246","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1246"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1246\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1247,"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1246\/revisions\/1247"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1245"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1246"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1246"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wildeatsandtreats.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1246"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}