Getting Back into it...

Tonight, I put in the effort and actually made dinner. It was sort of a casserole thing, so it was very filling. Plus, it was easy to make and made a bunch of leftovers for later in the week. I had never heard of "Johnny Marzetti" before this, but I'm glad I found the recipe online. The only change I made was I added fresh garlic and fresh basil to the sauce. I think simmering it for 15 minutes made a great difference in just adding it right away. This is the first casserole with pasta and sauce that the noodles didn't get overcooked. Yummy!

Lightened Up Johnny Marzetti

originally adapted from Allrecipes.com, I found this recipe on My Kitchen Adventures

Servings - 8 Serving size - 1/8th of recipe ( approx.1 cup+ )

Points Plus per serving - 8 points+

Calories - 298.5, Total Fat - 4.8g, Carb. - 43.7g, Protein - 21.8g, Fiber - 5.7g

12 oz. whole wheat pasta of your choice

16 oz. extra lean ground beef or turkey ( 93/7 )

1 cup onion, chopped

1 cup fresh mushrooms, diced

1/2 tsp. - 1 tsp. garlic powder

salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1 TBS. granulated sugar

2 TBS. Worcestershire sauce

2 (15 ounce) cans of tomato sauce, reduced sodium, if possible

4 oz. reduced fat sharp cheddar cheese

1. Cook pasta in large pot of boiling water that has been generously seasoned with salt. Undercook pasta by 1 minute, according to package directions. Drain.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9 x 13 casserole dish with cooking spray.

3. In large nonstick skillet, brown the ground beef , onion, mushrooms, and garlic powder. ( You can put it all in together and cook at the same time) When beef is browned and onions are tender, drain off any excess liquid you might have. Replace meat mixture to skillet and add tomato sauce, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper and stir to combine. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes to blend flavors.

4. In prepared casserole dish, layer half the pasta, followed by half the tomato/meat mixture, and then half the cheese. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Cover with foil and bake in oven for 20 -30 minutes, or until heated through.