I was in the kitchen contemplating what in the world to make for dinner…………………..then it hit me. Baked Ziti which I have not made in quite some time.

So let’s get started

Ingredients

1 Box of Whole Grain Ziti or Penne Pasta

3 pounds of ground turkey

1 (67 oz jar of spaghetti sauce)

1/2 cup of milk (skim or 1%)

1/2 cup of onions diced

1/2 cup of red, yellow and green peppers dices (all the pepper combined should total 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup of ground flax seeds (optional) it adds extra fiber and omega 3’s to the meal…….you can also opt for 1/4 cup of cauliflower puree

1 (9 ounce) Bag of Fresh Spinach (be sure to wash)

1 Cup of sliced mushrooms of choice

1 Bag of each of the following cheeses(sharp, mozzarella and parmesan)

2 tsp of olive oil divided ( you will need one to brown the turkey and one tsp for the pan you will be baking the ziti in)

Combine the following in a small bowl

1/4 tsp  of salt, black pepper, fennel,

1 tsp of oregano, garlic powder, onion powder

2 tsp of paprika

Directions

Preheat oven to 375°F.    Spray a pan 16x13x 4 inches deep-inch baking pan with oil spray.

In a large pot of salted water, cook pasta according to instructions until aldente. Drain and set aside for now.x

Brown your ground turkey.  Once completely browned turn off the heat.  Add onions, peppers,mushrooms, ground flax seeds and all the seasoning.  Incorporate everything evenly. The set aside.

Next it’s time to make your cheese sauce……..In a medium pot add milk and a half of a cup of each cheese stir until melted into a sauce. Remove from heat and add your spinach an incorporate it well in the cheese.

Now let’s assemble

In your baking pan that has been previously greased.  Add your pasta, then your browned ground turkey mix to evenly incorporated.  Now mix in spinach and cheese sauce…..now add the spaghetti sauce and 1/2 cup of one of your cheeses( I usually use mozzarella.  Bake for 30 minutes, or until mozzarella is melted and the edges are lightly browned. Let it cool 5 minutes…then enjoy.

I make a big batch of this…….so that I can take half of it, cut it into individual portions and freeze…..so when you don’t feel like cooking you can just pull it out of the freezer….un-thaw and reheat.

Enjoy & Until Next Time

Sewloveable 😀