Pulled Pork Baked Ziti

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This creamy pulled pork ziti is the ultimate comfort food dinner recipe! Plus, it can be made in one pot!

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I am officially old enough to be invited to a 10 year high school reunion. If that’s not reason enough to drown oneself in wine and massive amounts of melty cheese, I don’t know what is.

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Whenever I watched those high school reunion movies, like American Pie, I always thought they looked so old. I mean, part of this could be due to the fact that the actors playing the 28 year olds were actually 38, but that’s neither here nor there. When I was 18, 28 seemed like the farthest place away. That, and I had all of these grand plans for my 28 year old self. I’d be a successful writer living in NYC like Carrie Bradshaw. Or I’d be this amazing PR/ad exec with a private office and a company car. It’s funny because I guess one of those dreams came true.

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It’s weird, I’m actually looking forward to attending my reunion. Not because I loved high school so incredibly much, but because I’m old enough to really appreciate how much I’ve grown since then. In addition, I’ve sort of formed an “online” friendship with some of the people I went to highschool with, but  never really knew. And now that we’re older, wiser and so much cooler, it’ll be nice to re-meet them and form an actual friendship. It’s so funny how outside of a high school setting, you realize how much you had in common with people you never gave yourself the time to know.

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Unless I’m, you know, in like Africa (which I will be in the fall), I can’t imagine I won’t be there. Now it just gives me the push in the butt I need to get in better shape. And get my life together just a smidge.

Pulled Pork Baked Ziti

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CLICK HERE FOR THE PRINTABLE VERSION OF THIS RECIPE!

Serves about 10.
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: About 18 -22 minutes

Ingredients: 

  • 3 cups ziti pasta
  • 3/4 pound cooked and shredded pulled pork
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 cups diced tomatoes with juices
  • 1 cup spaghetti sauce
  • 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
  • 3/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt
  • 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 4 ounces fresh mozzarella, sliced thinly
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Fresh basil, chopped

Directions: 

  1. Bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add the ziti pasta and a dash of salt. Cook until softened, about 8 – 10 minutes. Rinse in cold water and set aside.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic and cook until softened, about 3 – 4 minutes. Add the pulled pork, diced tomatoes, spaghetti sauce, basil, red pepper flakes and italian seasoning. Reduce heat to low and simmer for about 10 minutes. Mix in the pasta and stir to coat.
  3. Meanwhile, mix the ricotta, shredded mozzarella, salt, pepper and Greek yogurt in another bowl. Add the ricotta mixture, by a spoonful, to the top of the pasta mixture and add more chopped basil and pepper. Layer the thinly sliced mozzarella cheese over the top of the ziti. Cover the mixture with a lid.
  4. Bake for about 23 – 25 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Nutritional information per serving:

Calories: 310
Fat: 13.6 grams
Carbohydrates: 27.2 grams
Fiber: 6 grams
Protein: 20.4 grams
Weight Watchers Points: 8

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Comments

  1. Posted by Liz @ The Lemon Bowl on
    Friday, March 21st, 2014
    I want to eat all of that gooey cheese goodness!
    • Posted by cgallam10 on
      Friday, March 21st, 2014
      Right? It's insane.
  2. Friday, March 21st, 2014
    Ohhhh that cheese!! <3
    • Posted by cgallam10 on
      Friday, March 21st, 2014
      TOTALLY!!
  3. Friday, March 21st, 2014
    looks so creamy and gooey.
  4. Posted by Emily @ Life on Food on
    Saturday, March 22nd, 2014
    What an unusual pasta dish. I would never have come up with this combination but it sounds super delicious.
    • Posted by cgallam10 on
      Monday, March 24th, 2014
      Thanks Emily! It sounds wacky but it's so good!
  5. Monday, March 24th, 2014
    I've never thought of making baked ziti with pulled pork! Love it!
    • Posted by cgallam10 on
      Monday, March 24th, 2014
      It works, it just works!