Archive for the ‘Pasta Meals’ Category

Baked Ziti

This is one of our favorite dishes, it really tastes like it’s all made from scratch! This recipe is quite a bit like our Turkey Pasta Pesto, with a tasty sauce twist.

Ingredients:
Turkey Links Italian Sweet Sausage (sold in a package by the fresh chicken).*
Whole Wheat Pasta ‘Penne’ (use 3/4 of the box) - I use the brand ‘Ronzini Healthy Request’.
Bertolli “Tomato & Basil’ (26 oz.) Found on the Ragu aisle. This is an excellent tasting sauce!
1 can (8 oz.) Tomato Sauce ‘No Salt’
Parmesan Cheese or Skim Milk Mozzarella slices
You will need a casserole baking dish, approx. 9” x 13”. Slightly grease the bottom & sides. I use olive oil for greasing pans

Set oven @ 350°

1.) Remove the skin from the sausage, fry it like hamburger, chopping it up as it cooks till well done.  To remove the skin without any mess, I will wear a surgical glove.

2.) While turkey sausage is cooking; boil up the pasta, drain & rinse with cool water.

3.) After cooking the turkey sausage & pasta. Add the turkey to the pot of pasta, add the whole jar of Bertolli sauce, & add the can of tomato sauce. Mix well & add mixture to the casserole baking dish.

4.) Sprinkle top with parmesan cheese or add a few slices of the mozzarella.

Bake for 30-45 minutes, until top is slightly crispy. Serves 6+

*I now purchase turkey/chicken meat and the chicken Italian Sweet Sausage from stores such as Sprouts’s or Sunflower Market. It really does taste so much better, plus, it’s free of steroids & other additives.

Turkey Pasta Pesto

Serves 4 to 6

With this recipe, once you get the turkey & noodles cooked, then it only takes 15 minutes to cook it up & serve.

  • 1 lb. White Turkey Breast - extra lean, I use the brand ‘Jennie-O’.
  • Whole Wheat Pasta (use 3/4 of the box) - I use the brand ‘Ronzini Healthy Request’.
  • It’s up to you which noodle to use. For this recipe, I use either the Elbow or the Penne pasta, or I might even break up the spaghetti noodles into smalpieces.
  • 2 cans (8 oz. each) Tomato Sauce ‘No Salt’
  • 1 Tbsp. BasiPesto ‘Bertolli’ - find it on the Ragu spaghetti aisle. Comes in 8 oz. size. (the basipasta is high in sodium, use sparingly)
  • Parmesan Cheese - sprinkle to taste.
  • Optional: Garlic powder to taste.
  1. In a frying pan, cook & chop up the turkey meat. If you use the very lean turkey meat, then there will be no excess oithat needs to be patted off.
  2. While turkey is cooking; boil up the pasta, drain & rinse with coowater. Put pasta back into sauce pan & add ingredients.
  3. Add the cooked turkey to the pasta, add the tomato sauce, pesto sauce, & parmesan cheese. Cook for about 10-15 minutes, untihot, & serve it up.