Love for Food

I have memories of my parents who always thought they were soo different coming up with the same solutions and ideas. An argument over something would have the same ideas just worded in a different way. Funny how that works. After believing me and my sister are so different we often come up with the very same ideas. Case in point, baked turkey ziti.
I have no idea why, but last weekend I thought it would be great to make baked ziti. I have never made it before and don't even order it when I'm eating out. But I had a hankering to make it. Turkey was on sale and figured I could put that in to get some extra protein. I based my dish off of a WW recipe and thought, this is pretty tasty, I should share this on the blog. A few days later my sister e-mailed me. She had finally cooked something for a guest blog spot... baked ziti with turkey from WW.
This dish is very tasty and satisfying, while still being WW friendly. For me it was great because I could make it over the weekend and heat it up over the week. Not all dishes always manage to re-heat well. I used ground turkey instead of the sausage and added an extra small can of tomato sauce. (I like mine a little more wet). Enjoy!
Ingredients: Serves Eight
3/4 pound(s) raw turkey sausage, spicy-variety, casings removed1 medium onion(s), chopped1 medium green pepper(s), chopped28 oz canned diced tomatoes10 oz frozen green peas, thawed2 Tbsp canned tomato paste1 tsp dried oregano1 tsp dried basil1/2 tsp dried thyme1/2 tsp fennel seed1/2 tsp table salt, or to taste1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground12 oz uncooked whole-wheat pasta, ziti, cooked according to package directions6 oz shredded part-skim mozzarella cheeses

Method:

• Position the rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.
• Crumble the sausage meat into a large saucepan and brown over medium heat, stirring often, about 4 minutes.
• Drain off any fat, then add the onion and bell pepper. Cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in the tomatoes, peas, tomato paste, oregano, basil, thyme, fennel seeds, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook uncovered 5 minutes, stirring often.
• Stir in the cooked pasta and half the cheese. Spread evenly into a 9- X 13-inch baking pan. Top evenly with the remaining cheese.
• Bake until the cheese has melted and the casserole is bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes at room temperature before slicing into 8 pieces. Yields 1 piece per serving.