A few months ago, I met a new food blogger, Joanne. I've appreciated her 12 weeks of winter squash posts; she's come up with amazing ways to enjoy squash. This post, however has nothing to do with squash... but the recipe does happen to be from Joanne :)
What's better... this delicious dish is full of wonderful veggies: carrots, tomatoes, onion, garlic, spinach and even sweet potato :) You'd never guess.
Wintry Baked Ziti - Adapted from Joanne at Eat's Well with Others
1 lb. whole wheat penne (or ziti)
12 oz. sweet Italian turkey sausage
1 lb. spinach
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 onion, chopped
3 large carrots
1 medium sweet potato
1 T oregano
1 (14oz) can, diced tomatoes
1 (12 oz) can tomato sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 C Parmesan cheese, grated
1 C mozzarella cheese, shredded
First, begin boiling carrots and the sweet potato. When soft and tender, drain and puree in a blender with a little bit of water to make a creamy blend.
Boil the pasta for 2/3 of the time listed on the package. Add in the spinach during the last minute. Then, drain.
Remove the turkey sausage from their casings, and cook until brown and crumbly. Drain any excess fat by placing the meat on a pepper towel.
In the same skillet, add the minced garlic and chopped onion. Cook until the onions are clear. Then, add in the carrots puree, cooking 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the oregano, tomatoes, and tomato sauce; season with salt and pepper.
Don't those colors look wonderful! I love eating brilliantly colored foods.
Stir in the Italian sausage and simmer for 10 minutes.
Stir together the pasta, Parmesan cheese and half of the sauce.
Pour into a greased 9x13 glass baking dish.
Pour the remaining sauce over the top, and sprinkle with the mozzarella cheese.
Bake at 400 (no need to preheat, just stick in the dish and turn the oven on) for 30-35 minutes, until the cheese is lightly browned. If you want, turn the oven off after the dish has cooked for 20 minutes, and let the cooling oven continue to cook your pasta -- you'll save a lot of energy cooking that way.
Enjoy!
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