A Better Bag of Groceries

Baked Ziti with Turkey Sausage

Thursday, April 8, 2010 at 07:17 AM

So, here we are having record warm temperatures in Boston this week and I decide to blog about a baked pasta casserole!  Counter-intuitive, I know.  I should be here telling you about the best-scoring recipes for the grill.  But, let’s face it.  Spring weeknight dinners are all about speed and while the idea of having a little soiree with your grill, cold beverage in hand is a pleasant thought, it’s probably not happenin’ ’til the weekend. 

Yes, Spring is about the busiest season of all.  Especially if you have a child who is in Little League.  Luckily for me, my kids are not, but I do have some Mommy friends who are out at the fields at least three nights a week.  With sunset not until well after 7 pm, it sure puts a dent in your schedule.  And it is on those crazy-busy nights that Moms have no choice but to (cue evil-sounding music here) resort to the McDonald’s or Wendy’s drive-through.  I admit, I’ve been there myself.  Sometime between swimming lessons, sports class and Cub Scouts.  I (unfortunately) have McDonald’s Kidzbop CDs to prove it. 

So, this Spring, I challenge Moms to make some healthy, high-yield recipes on the not-so-busy nights and use their microwaves to reheat leftovers when the going gets tough. 

This Baked Ziti with Turkey Sausage is one of my favorite Weight Watchers  recipes.  My kids love it, we usually get two dinners plus lunch leftovers out of it, and it has some great ingredients with high NuVal scores.

3/4 lb mild turkey sausage, casings removed (NuVal score of 20 for Shady Brook Farms 65% less fat sweet Italian turkey sausage)

1 medium onion, chopped (NuVal score: 93)

1 medium red pepper, cored, seeded and chopped (NuVal score: 96)

One 28-oz can diced tomatoes (*see my note below on diced tomatoes)

One 10-oz package frozen peas, thawed (NuVal score:  96)

2 Tbsp tomato paste (NuVal score of 75for Cento tomato paste)

1 tsp dried oregano

1 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 tsp Kosher salt

12 oz dried whole wheat ziti, cooked according to the package’s instructions and drained (*see my note on Ziti below)

6 oz mozzarella cheese, grated (NuVal score of 21 for Price Chopper’s Part-Skim Low Moisture mozzarella)

On the Diced Tomatoes:

Boy, do the NuVal scores vary when it comes to canned tomatoes.  It’s all about the additives.  One of the best brands you can choose when your recipe calls for diced tomatoes is Del Monte Diced Tomatoes with No Salt Added.

They score a 77 on the NuVal scale.  Compare that to Del Monte’s Diced Tomatoes with Basil, Garlic and Oregano which only score a 28.  That’s what I mean about those additives.

On the Ziti:

This recipe does call for Ziti and I do like the smooth texture of that particular pasta cut for this recipe.  But I also like to buy a very high-scoring pasta and for some reason, the whole wheat and multi-grain pastas do not seem to come in the form of Ziti.  The best-scoring Ziti I could find in my supermarket scored only a 61.  So, I opted for Barilla Plus Multigrain Penne which gets a Rock Star score of 91.  To measure 12 ounces, I used my ancient Weight Watchers scale.

• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
• 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 seeds, salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook uncovered 5 minutes, stirring often.

• Stir in the pasta and half the grated cheese.  (I usually do this part in an extra-large metal mixing bowl to keep things from getting too messy).   Spread evenly into 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 10 minutes at room temperature before serving.  Serves 8.

The photo came out a little blurry, I know, but you get the picture. 

Serve this right out of your casserole dish and then (once it has cooled), store the casserole in the refrigerator for Leftover/Microwave nights.  You can zap a plate faster than you can get through the long line at the Drive Through. 

As for warm pasta meals, they will still fit the bill here in New England.  The forecast for the rest of the week looks much chillier.  I hope my Little League Mom friends remember to wear their Long Johns.  Those benches get cold!

Enjoy!

Question of the Day

What is your favorite reheated dinner?

Posted by: Melissa 8 comments

Posted in: Dinner Recipes, Pasta

Tags: Baked Ziti, Pasta