Ziti with Ricotta and Vegetables

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 teaspoons balsamic vinega
• 4 teaspoons snipped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried thyme, crushed
• 1/4 cup snipped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil, crushed
• 1 cup light ricotta cheese
• 2 large ripe tomatoes
• 1-1/2 cups asparagus or green beans cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2-1/2 cups broccoli florets
• 8 ounces dried ziti or penne pasta
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan or Romano cheese

Directions

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting any oil or salt and adding broccoli and asparagus or green beans the last 3 minutes of cooking; drain.

2. Meanwhile, place a fine strainer over a large bowl. Cut tomatoes in half; squeeze seeds and juice into strainer. With the back of a spoon, press on seeds to extract juice; discard seeds, reserving tomatoes.

3. Add ricotta cheese, basil, thyme, vinegar, oil, garlic, salt, and pepper to tomato juice in bowl; mix well. Chop reserved tomatoes; stir into ricotta mixture. Add hot cooked pasta and vegetables to ricotta mixture. Toss to combine. Sprinkle each serving with Parmesan cheese; serve immediately. Makes 4 main-dish servings.

Start to Finish: 25 min

Source: Better Homes and Gardens