Mexican Baked Ziti

Ingredients

• Whole wheat pasta

  Dry

  8 oz or 227g

• Ground beef

  80% lean meat / 20% fat, raw

  12 oz or 340g

• Dry taco seasoning mix

  Campbell soup company, pace

  2 tbsp or 5g

• Red bell pepper

  Sweet, raw

  1 cup, chopped or 149g

• Onions

  Raw

  1 cup, chopped or 160g

• Corn

  Sweet, yellow, raw

  ½ cup or 73g

• Ricotta cheese

  Part skim milk

  12 tbsp or 186g

• Tomatoes

  Red, ripe, canned, packed in tomato juice

  1 cup or 240g

• Salt

  Table

  1 dash or 0.4g

• Mexican cheese

  Blend, reduced fat

  ½ cup, shredded or 57g

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray an 8"x8" baking pan with nonstick spray.
2. Cook the pasta al dente according to package instructions, about 8 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat and spray with nonstick spray. Add the ground beef and sprinkle with half the taco seasoning. Cook and crumble until the beef is mostly cooked, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the bell pepper, onion, and corn to the skillet. Cook and stir until the beef is fully cooked, the veggies have partially softened, and the corn has thawed, about 4 minutes.
5. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the ricotta cheese. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of pasta. Add the crushed tomatoes, salt, half the shredded cheese, and the remaining taco seasoning. Mix until uniform.
6. Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan and smooth out the surface. Top with the remaining shredded cheese.
7. Bake in the oven until the entire dish is hot and the cheese has melted, about 15 minutes.