After being dairy-free for such a long time (10 years!), it’s hard for me to plan meals that have dairy in them. It’s just not the first place my brain goes! However, I’m rediscovering so many yummy dairy dishes that I have not been able to eat in ages, and enjoying every bite.
This recipe is a little bit of a pantry raid–you can use any veggies you like as long as they will all cook at about the same rate (if you want to use something that will take longer to cook, like eggplant, I would recommend pre-cooking it). I do take the time to saute all of the vegetables first because it gives it great flavor and you have time while the pasta is cooking, but if you are looking for a time-saver and you have leftover pasta, you can skip that part. I use ricotta here but cottage cheese or farmers cheese works just as well. Even other pasta shapes will work–really, whatever you have on hand will be delicious.
Cheesy Veggie Spaghetti Bake
Ingredients:
1 lb gluten-free spaghetti
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow squash
2 bell peppers (I used orange and yellow)
2 eggs (or 3 egg whites)
1 cup ricotta cheese (I used low-fat)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
1 cup marinara sauce
Directions:
- Grease a 9×13 baking dish and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Cook spaghetti according to package directions until al dente, drain, rinse, and set aside.
- Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat olive oil. Saute onions and garlic 3-4 minutes until soft. Chop zucchini, yellow squash, and bell peppers into equal sized pieces. Add to skillet and saute 6-10 additional minutes until vegetables are softened.
- In a large bowl, whisk together eggs. Stir in ricotta and 1 cup of mozzarella, then spaghetti, and then sauted vegetables.
- Pour into prepared baking dish. Spread marinara evenly over the mixture, then top with remaining mozzarella.
- Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes until browned and bubbling.
