Italian Faux-Beef and Pasta Bake

This recipe is adapted to suit the needs of a vegetarian from the Weight Watchers Healthy Cooking Basics Cookbook. By substituting the lean ground beef in this recipe for a vegan and healthier vegetarian soy crumble I reduced the points on this dish from 7 per serving to 5 per serving.

3 cups whole wheat penne pasta
1 8-ounce package vegetarian soy crumbles
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can of diced tomatoes
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 cup part-skim milk ricotta cheese
1 cup shredded part-skim milk mozzarella cheese

1. Move the oven rake to the lower middle position and preheat the oven to 350°. Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Cook the penne pasta according to package instructions omitting an fat or salt. Drain and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, cook the veggie crumbles, onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until crumbles are cooked and onion is slightly translucent. Stir in the tomatoes, oregano, basil and pepper and simmer stirring occasionally until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes.
4. Stir the crumbles mixture, ricotta cheese and 1/2 cup of mozzarella into the penne and mix well. Transfer into the prepared baking dish and top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
5. Bake until heated through and golden brown on top, about 20 minutes.

Serving size is 1 1/4 cup and each serving is 5 points.