I had my heart set on baked ziti until I realized that we were out of penne so baked spaghetti it was! Just like baked ziti this is an easy meal to prepare, is great made ahead, and both reheats and freezes well.
Recipe notes:
- I used 1 lb of mozzarella with about a cup of ricotta for this recipe but if you don’t have ricotta and have enough mozzarella, I’d bump it up to 1.5 lbs for max cheesiness!
- I also used zucchini and summer squash but you can make it without veggies or with any others
Fueling notes:
- This recipe makes about eight servings and each packs about 48 grams of carbs, 30 grams of protein and 14 grams of fat
- Pre-climbing this would be best paired with as much extra carbs as you’re hungry for (like garlic bread) at least 2 hours before a session to give you enough time to digest
- Post-climbing pair a serving with ~45 grams of extra carbs (like garlic bread, a fruit smoothie or something else for dessert) for that 3:1 carb to protein ratio
The Stuff
- 1 lb of spaghetti
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- 2, 24-oz jars of tomato sauce (or you can make your own)
- 1-1.5 lb of shredded mozzarella
- Optional: 15 oz container of ricotta cheese
- Also optional but delicious: 4 small zucchini or summer squash, diced
The Steps
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit
- Boil a pot of water with 1 teaspoon of salt
- If you’re making a homemade sauce, do this now
- If you’re going to include veggies, sauté them in a skillet and add then add the sauce and simmer for a few minutes
- Cook pasta until just before it is al dente (it will finish cooking in the oven)
- Take a 13×9 Pyrex and spoon enough sauce into it to lightly cover the bottom
- Add half of the pasta and cover with half of the sauce. Stir it slightly to make sure all the pasta is sauced up. If you’re using ricotta, add half of it to this layer in twelve to fifteen tablespoon size dollops. Then add half of the mozzarella
- Do the same for the top layer with the rest of the pasta, sauce, ricotta, and cheese
- Bake for 30 minutes until bubbly
Did you make it? I’d love to see how it turned out! Tag @climbingdietitian on instagram.
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