Healthier Baked Penne

This one of those everyday type of recipes. It is pretty quick and very easy, and almost everyone likes it – even kids. More often than not these days, we are trying to eat healthier. With that in mind, I have replaced the usual sausage with ground turkey, and used whole grain penne instead of white. Using whole grain pasta makes a tremendous difference in my husband’s blood sugar levels. I would have never thought it would make such a difference because it is still carbohydrates, but white pasta sends it really high, and there isn’t really and difference with the whole grain than eating any other meal.

• 1 lb. ground turkey
• 2 Tbsps. olive oil
• 2 28 oz. cans tomato sauce
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp. onion powder (Or, use real onion. I just am not fond of onion.)
• ½ tsp. oregano
• 1 tsp. basil
• ¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
• 1 15oz. container low-fat ricotta cheese
• 5 cups low-fat mozzarella cheese, grated and divided
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated and divided
• 1 lb. whole grain penne pasta

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Brown turkey in olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drain.
3. In a large pot, stir together tomato sauce, garlic, onion powder, oregano, basil, and cayenne. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer while you prepare the penne.
4. Cook penne according to package directions, drain, and rinse in cool water.
5. While penne is cooking, stir together ricotta, 3 cups mozzarella, and ½ cup Parmesan.
6. Stir penne into the cheese mixture.
7. In a deep 9"x13" baking dish, ladle just enough sauce to cover the bottom of the dish.
8. top with half of the penne mixture and then half of the sauce. Repeat with remaining penne and sauce.
9. Top with remaining mozzarella and Parmesan.
10. Bake until bubbly and some of the cheese on top is just beginning to brown (20 to 30 minutes).

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