Crockpot Magic Healthy Pasta Supreme

In the cooler weather it is wonderful to have something warm and bubbly right out of the oven.....errrr I mean Crockpot. This is a good one for set up Sunday midday for a yummy and easy dinner after running around all day. This is a perfect fall dish that is very adaptable to whatever veggie you like. I would sub in eggplant or mushrooms or a mixture of the two for the zucchini....even yellow or grey squash as well. Let me know how your Crockpot Healthy Pasta and Veggies comes out!

Serves 6 Prep: 20 minutes Cook Time: 4.5 hours

Ingredients:
2 large 28-ounce cans chopped tomatoes with basil

3 tablespoons Extra Virgin olive oil

3 cloves garlic, chopped roughly 

Salt and pepper to taste

12 oz pound whole wheat rotini or rigatoni

1 sweet onion, chopped

1 pound zucchini chopped into quarters

1 lb fresh baby spinach (you can sub frozen)

1 15-ounce container fat free or low fat ricotta

8 ounces mozzarella chopped or grated

1/2 cup grated Parmesan for serving

Instructions: 

Mix the tomatoes, oil, garlic, ¾ teaspoon salt, and ½ tsp pepper in a large bowl. In a separate medium bowl, combine the uncooked pasta, chopped onion, and zucchini.

Spread a third of the tomato mixture in the bottom of a 4 to 6-quart Crockpot. Top with half the pasta mixture, half the spinach, a third of the tomato mixture, half the ricotta, and half the mozzarella; repeat layers until crockpot is 3/4 full.  You can see mine is kind of more than 3/4 full but that is okay...no worries!  Cover and cook on high until the pasta is tender, 3½ to 4 hours. You can serve your yummy meal sprinkled with the fresh Parmesan if you like.