BHG’s Healthy Baked Cavatelli

With only 254 calories a serving, this Healthy Baked Cavatelli by BHG is loaded with vegetables and protein ...a sure win win for your entire family! Serves 8 Total Time: 1.5 hours

Ingredients:

8 ounces dried cavatelli or dried multigrain penne pasta
12 ounces uncooked ground Italian turkey sausage*
1 cup chopped eggplant or zucchini
1 cup chopped fresh cremini or button mushrooms
¾ cup chopped red sweet pepper
½ cup chopped onion
2 garlic, minced
1 14.5 ounce no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained  1 8 ounce no-salt-added tomato sauce
¼ cup snipped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil, crushed
1 tablespoon snipped fresh oregano or 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup shredded reduced-fat Italian blend cheese (4 ounces)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting any salt or oil. Drain; set aside.  Meanwhile, in a very large skillet cook sausage, eggplant, mushrooms, sweet pepper, onion, and garlic over medium heat until sausage is browned and vegetables are just tender, stirring to break up sausage as it cooks. Drain off any fat. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, dried basil (if using), salt, and black pepper. Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in fresh basil (if using) and fresh oregano (if using). In a very large bowl stir together the pasta and sausage mixture. Spoon mixture into a 3-quart baking dish. Bake, covered with foil, for 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese. Bake about 5 minutes more or until cheese is melted.

Note: For a less spicy pasta dish, use half regular ground turkey and half Italian turkey sausage.

Items you may use in this recipe: