Every Saturday morning, after weighing in, I eagerly grasp for my weekly. I rush to my seat, and flip through it to discover the recipe. The recipe in the week of January 8th-14th had a DELICIOUS sounding baked ziti meal with turkey sausage, and I thought with a few tweaks it would please my taste buds. Boy, was I right.
Prep Time: 15 Minutes / Cook Time: 35 Minutes / Serves: 8
Ingredients:
3/4 lb raw, spicy turkey sausage, casings removed
1 medium onion, chopped
(I used around a 1/4th-1/2, and next time I'll probably use onion powder. I'm not the biggest onion fan.)
1 medium green pepper, chopped
28 oz canned diced tomatoes
(Might swap it out for half diced and half sauce, or full sauce next time.)
10 oz frozen green peas, thawed
(I didn't use those.)
2 tbsp canned tomato paste
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp dried thyme
/2 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp table salt, or just to taste
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
12 oz uncooked whole-wheat ziti
6 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
Directions
Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees and prepare your pasta according to package directions.
Crumble the sausage meat into a large saucepan and brown over medium heat, stirring often, about 4 minutes. Drain off any fat, then add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened about 3 minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes, peas, tomato paste, oregano, basil, thyme, fennel seed, salt and pepper. Bring mixture to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook uncovered 5 minutes, stirring often. Stir in the cooked pasta and half the cheese.
Spread evenly in a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Top evenly with the remaining cheese.
Bake until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes at room temperature before slicing into 8 pieces.
Yields 1 piece per serving.
PP: 8
