baked ziti with roasted red peppers, baby kale, and ricotta

baked ziti with roasted red peppers, baby kale, and ricotta

Cozy pasta bakes are a no-fail way to make dinner more delicious! And this baked ziti with roasted red peppers, baby kale, and ricotta is no exception – it’s creamy, cheesy and absolutely stuffed with veggies in every bite.

One of the best feelings in the world is starting off your week with pan of gooey cheesy (vegetable-stuffed!) baked pasta in the fridge.

Fact.

And not the “alternative” kind.

A big part of that is the knowledge that you’re set up for dinner success.

No matter how hectic the workweek gets,

no matter how long your 4pm meeting runs,

no matter how many 11th hour hospital admissions you get,

no matter how late your boss walks into your office and plops a new assignment on your desk.

You can breathe easy knowing that you can walk in the door at just about any time, pop a square of this in the microwave (or oven if yours takes less than an hour to preheat #crappyelectricovenproblems), and have dinner ready in less than 5 minutes.

The rest is the sense of satisfaction you get from knowing that not only have you made a meal that the entire family will love because WHO CAN RESIST ALL THAT CHEESE?!

BUT you’ve also snuck not one, but TWO veggies into them in the form of a roasted red pepper infusion AND bits of baby kale in every bite.

It’s such a working mom win that I can hardly take it.

And let’s be honest, we need to rejoice in all the wins we can get.

Baked Ziti with Roasted Red Peppers, Baby Kale, and Ricotta

 

Cozy pasta bakes are a no-fail way to make dinner more delicious! And this baked ziti with roasted red peppers, baby kale, and ricotta is no exception.

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 oz baby kale
• 15.5 oz jar of roasted red peppers, drained, seeded, and pureed
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 2 cups ricotta
• 1 lb ziti
• 8 oz mozzarella, grated

Instructions

1. Heat oven to 400F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.
2. Meanwhile, heat the butter and olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the onion to the pan and saute for 4-5 minutes or until starting to brown. Stir in the garlic and and saute for 1 minute or until fragrant. Add the baby kale to the pan and saute until wilted, about 2-3 minutes.
3. Pour the roasted red pepper puree into the pan and season to taste with salt and black pepper. Stir in the heavy cream and ricotta. Simmer until ricotta has loosened and warmed through, about 2-3 minutes. Remove from the heat.
4. Cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente, according to package directions. Drain and toss with the roasted red pepper sauce.
5. Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan with olive oil. Pour half of the pasta into the prepared pan. Top with half of the grated cheese. Add the remaining pasta to the pan and top with the remaining cheese.
6. Bake for 25 minutes, or until cheese starts to brown and sauce is bubbling. Let cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Notes

An Eats Well With Others Original

source:https://joanne-eatswellwithothers.com/2017/03/baked-ziti-with-roasted-red-peppers-baby-kale-and-ricotta.html