Baked Penne with Turkey Sausage



This is a recipe that my mom and I came across several years ago while watching the Food Network and it has remained a staple in both of our homes since then. It is the prefect meal to make if you are feeding a crowd because it makes so much. I had a serious craving for this last weekend and knowing it was just going to be the two of us, I decided to split the recipe among two dishes and freeze half. We still had enough for leftovers from the portion we baked. I have made a few changes from the original recipe by using whole wheat noodles and reducing the amount of cheese in order to make it a bit more healthy. Here is a healthier version of one of my favorite winter dishes.

 

 

 

Baked Penne with Turkey Sausage

 Recipe adapted from Robin Miller

Ingredients:

- 1 lb. whole wheat Penne noodles

- 1 lb. Italian turkey sausage

- 2- 28oz. cans diced tomatoes with basil, garlic and oregano

- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary

- 1 15oz. container part-skim ricotta cheese

- 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese- reduced fat, reserve 1 cup for topping

- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

- 1 teaspoon garlic powder

 

Directions:

- Cook pasta according to the package directions. Drain noodles and set aside.

- Meanwhile, cook sausage in a hot skillet over medium heat until golden brown on all sides. Add tomatoes ans rosemary and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

- In a medium bowl, combine ricotta cheese, mozzaerlla cheese and garlic powder and mix well.

- Spoon half of the tomato sauce in the bottom of a 4-quart casserole dish. Top with half of the cooked ziti. Top with half of the cheese mixture. Top with tomato sauce. Repeat layers (remaining ziti and remaining cheese mixture). Top with the remaining tomato sauce.

 

 

- Sprinkle remanining mozzarella and parmesan cheese over top. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes on 350 degrees. Uncover and bake 15 more minutes, until cheese is golden and bubbly