Wednesday, August 8, 2007

Sausage Penne Bake

Sausage Penne Bake

I seem to be on a pasta kick lately. Maybe I'm craving it because I've been tired and stressed out lately. It's not so much that things in my life are stressful, but more because I feel like my week is moving at warped speed whether I want it to or not. Seems like there's always some place I have to be or something I have to do. And carbs=love.

At least I opted for good carbs, well, better at least. I made a Sausage Penne Bake which is loosely adapted from a WW's Baked Beef Ziti recipe. It's something that's kid friendly and guy-friendly (if you have a DBF who is less than enthusiastic about health food).

I have made this recipe reincarnated many times. I've added spinach, topped with parmesan instead of mozarella, and as I have done here, used Italian turkey sausage instead of ground beef. I like it mostly because it makes a lot, doesn't take a lot of effort to prepare, and tastes a lot like things my mom used to make. Ideal for those stressful days. The recipe, by my calculations comes to 8 pts give or take for 6 servings. You can make it more point-friendly by reducing the amount of sauage and/or cheese. And as always, run it through Recipe Builder on your own. As my method (adding up the NI and dividing by the number of servings and then using my old school slider) is probably less exact.

Sausage Penne Bake
1 box of whole wheat penne (about 13 oz)
4 sweet Italian turkey sausage links
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
1 28 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
fresh basil for garnish

Preheat oven to 350°. Cook pasta according to the directions on the box, omitting an extra oil. Drain.

Meanwhile, remove casing from sausage and brown in a pan over medium-high heat until cooked through. Drain if necessary. Add rosemary, thyme, oregano, and garlic to the pan and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in crushed tomatoes. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Toss sauce with pasta and pour into a baking dish coated with cooking spray. Top with cheese and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until cheese is melted.

No comments: