Home made pizza & baked ziti

Last night we really wanted to order pizza and baked ziti, but since we are trying to eat in during the week we opted to have what we had already made. As a surprise to my husband for dinner tonight I made home made pizza and baked ziti--he was thrilled. I was able to make both in about 1.5 hours, which I thought wasn't bad! The pizza dough is great because 1 batch makes enough dough for two pizzas, so you can use half one night and then freeze the rest for another night. The ziti made enough to serve 9 people, so you can either freeze it in portions or have a dinner party--your choice (I chose freeze since our house is a mess and I can't find the dining room table under all of the crap I have on it).

Pizza dough
Makes two 12-inch pizzas
18 points per crust (about 900 calories)

1 1/2 cups warm water (not HOT)
1 package active dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1 tbs olive oil
4 1/4 cups flour
1 tsp salt

-In a small bowl mix yeast, warm water and sugar. Let sit 5 minutes until it gets frothy looking.
-Add oil to yeast mixture and put aside.
-In a separate bowl mix flour and salt.
-Slowly mix yeast mixture into flour mixture. Dough should form a smooth ball (add extra flour if it is too sticky--you may need to use your hand)
-Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and place in a warm place to rise for 1 hour.
-Punch down dough and kneed for 3 minutes.
-Divide dough in half. Toss one crust into a zip lock bag and freeze.


Cheese Pizza
30 points in prepared cheese pie / 6 slices at 5 points per slice (about 250 calories)

1 portion of pizza dough recipe
1 cup marinara sauce
1 1/4 cups reduced fat shredded Italian cheese

-Pre heat oven to 500 degrees. Place baking rack on lowest setting.
-Roll out dough on a pizza stone.
-Top with 1 cup sauce and 1 1/4 cups shredded cheese.
-Bake for 15 minutes or until desired crispiness.

Baked Ziti
Serves 9
72 points in entire dish/8 points per piece (about 400 calories)

1 box ziti, cooked and drained
1/2 pound lean ground meat
1/2 onion, chopped
1 tbs oregano
1 tbs dried basil
1 tsp salt/pepper
1 jar marinara sauce (sorry folks, no time for home made during the week)
1 cup part skim ricotta
1 cup shredded mozzarella

-Pre-heat oven 350 degrees.
-In a large pan over medium high heat saute onion until soft.
-Add meat and cook until all of the pink is gone.
-Push all of the meat to one side and tilt the pan so the fat runs down to the other side. Drain or blot away with a paper towel.
-Add oregano, basil, salt and pepper.
-Reduce heat to low and pour in marinara sauce. Let simmer for 15 minutes.
-Stir ricotta directly into hot sauce.
-Mix pasta and sauce together in a large bowl.
-Spray a large baking dish with PAM. Pour mixture into dish. Top with cheese. Bake 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Healthy meals to nourish your mind.