High Protein Not-Baked Ziti
High protein meal prep friendly version of the viral High Protein Baked Ziti. Contains protein pasta, cooked zucchini, onion, marinara, lean seasoned ground beef and cottage cheese. It's the perfect pasta dish that tastes indulgent but is extremely macro-friendly. Makes 2 servings.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 zucchini medium to large
- 1 yellow onion medium to large
- 2 c jarred marinara I use Prego Traditional
- garlic powder to taste
- Kosher salt to taste
- Black pepper to taste
- olive oil or water to cook vegetables
Ground Beef
- 1/2 lb lean ground beef 90% or leaner
- garlic powder to taste
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
Pasta
- 4 oz protein pasta or any pasta (2 servings)
Cottage Cheese
- 1 c low fat cottage cheese (2 servings) I use Good Culture 2%
Instructions
- Cook zucchini and onions just under medium heat in either a tablespoon of olive oil or add 1/4 cup water, put the lid on and steam. Cook 5-7 minutes to soften.
- Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Add 2 cups of your favorite jarred marinara. I use Prego Traditional. Check the nutrition label as all jarred sauces are NOT created equal as far as macros go. Stir, cover, lower heat to low-medium and allow to simmer for 15 minutes.
- Brown ground beef and remove any excess fat. Season with garlic powder, salt and pepper. Season to taste. Set aside.
- Boil 2 servings (4 oz total) of your favorite protein pasta or any pasta you have. You can use any shape. I prefer rotini.
- If you're planning to serve immediately plate up the portions and top with cottage cheese while everything is hot so it melts. Stir together and serve. If you're food prepping, put the servings in two air tight containers and store in the fridge. When you're ready to eat, add to a microwave-safe plate and either add the cottage cheese before or after microwaving.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!