Healthy Baked Ziti

I made this a few weeks ago when it was freezing cold and Tony wanted to make something warm and preferably something we could freeze and use for leftovers- it was a lazy Sunday and we had the time. So I decided to try to make a "healthy" baked ziti. He was game. The main change was that I decided to make my own tomato sauce instead of using sauce from a jar that is full of sugar and sodium and calories. I have become a huge fan of canned tomatoes lately- I buy them every week at the grocery store and always find ways to use them. So I just created a sauce by sauteing garlic, onion and dried herbs in some olive oil, adding canned tomatoes (plain in their juices) and letting it all simmer down for about 20 minutes. I also used all low-fat cheeses. So as far as baked ziti goes- this turned out to be both yummy and healthy!


Ingredients
1 box pasta (ziti or rigatoni)
1 cup part skim ricotta
3/4 cup grated parmesan
1 cup part skim mozzarella
3 cloves garlic (minced)
1 small onion (finely chopped)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Dried or fresh herbs (basil, oregano, thyme, etc.)
1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes (plain in juices)

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Heat oil in pan and saute garlic and onion for about 5 minutes, until translucent. Add herbs and tomatoes. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes. In the meantime, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook pasta according to instructions, until al dente. Drain pasta, reserving about a cup of pasta water (to add to sauce in case its too thick). Combine ricotta, 1/4 cup parm, and half mozzarella in a small bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

In the bottom of a casserole dish, spread half of the tomato sauce. Top with pasta, then cheese mixture and remaining sauce. Sprinkle with remaining parm and mozzarella. Bake in the oven until cheese is slightly brown and sauce is bubbling- about 25 minutes.