Baked Ziti with a Twist

I had a bunch of kale in my veggie crisper that we picked up at the local farmers market and I need a creative way to use it- I stumbled across this recipe on Foodietots.com. My hubby and I really enjoyed it but Little Foodie just picked at it, she is not a huge fan of pasta. Great dinner for a cold winter night, I made mine meat free but you could add sausage if you like. Enjoy!

• 1 pound ziti noodles
• 1 cup organic kale leaves, torn
• 4-5 cloves garlic
• 1 small yellow onion
• 3 organic carrots, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoon oregano
• 28 ounces crushed tomatoes
• salt & pepper
• 1 pound whole milk ricotta
• 1 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella, romano and parmesan cheeses

Instructions: Bring water to boil in a large stock pot.

Heat oil in dutch oven over medium heat. Add sausage and cook until evenly browned. Remove sausage from pan and set aside, covered.

Lower heat to medium low and add garlic and onion. Cook 2-3 minutes until translucent. Add carrots and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in oregano and tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

While sauce simmers, cook pasta for 6 minutes (or 2/3 of minimum recommended cooking), adding kale for the last minute. Drain.

Stir together pasta, kale, ricotta and 1/2 of the sauce. Pour into 9×13-inch baking pan. Pour remaining sauce over top, then spead shredded cheeses evenly over top. Bake at 400 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until cheese is golden. Makes 10-12 servings. Enjoy!