SPRING-SUMMER ZITI

facebook share image   twitter share image   pinterest share image   E-Mail share image



Spring-Summer Ziti image

A yummy recipe from Rachael Ray's Big Orange Book. She got tired of living half of the year without her ziti, so came up with ziti lovely in flavor! A light tomato sauce with tarragon and basil surrounds the ziti at the bottom and on the top of the serving dish. The pasta is tossed with asparagus tips, sweet ricotta, tender peas and Parmigiano. She says to keep your tissues handy, this one might bring you to tears. :)

Provided by Sharon123

Categories     Cheese

Time 47m

Yield 6 serving(s)

Number Of Ingredients 13

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 large shallots, thinly sliced 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 (28 ounce) can plum tomatoes
salt and pepper
4 sprigs tarragon, leaves removed, chopped (or 1/2 tsp. dried)
1/2 cup fresh basil, thinly sliced (10 leaves)
1 lb ziti pasta, rigate (with lines)
1 lb thin asparagus, trimmed, chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 cup grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 lb fresh mozzarella cheese, thinly sliced

Steps:

  • Preheat the oven to 400*F.
  • Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil for pasta.
  • While water is coming to a boil, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.Saute the shallots and garlic for 3-5 minutes, then stir in tomatoes and crush them with a wooden spoon or potato masher. Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 more mintes, then stir in the tarragon and basil and remove from the heat.
  • While the sauce is simmering, salt the boiling water and cook the pasta to just under al dente-a nice bite left to it. After the pasta has been cooking for 5 minutes, add the asparagus and frozen peas to the pot for a minute or two before draining. Drain the pasta and veggies.
  • Add the ricotta, half the Parmigiano cheese, and the lemon zest to the hot pasta pot. return the hot pasta to the pot and stir to coat evenly.
  • Pour half the tomato sauce into a large baking dish. Add all of the ziti and top with the remaining Parmigiano. Bake until the top is brown and bubbly, about 12 minutes. Enjoy!

Nutrition Facts : Calories 628, Fat 23.6, SaturatedFat 11.6, Cholesterol 60.4, Sodium 545.4, Carbohydrate 72.5, Fiber 6.6, Sugar 8.3, Protein 32.5

There are no comments yet!