This great meal combines protein and iron from the lean ground beef, fiber and vitamins from the bell pepper and mushrooms, and carbs from the egg-noodles. This easy dish can feed you all week long!
INGREDIENTS:
Nonstick cooking spray
8 ounce ground turkey or extra-lean ground beef (93% lean)
¾ cup chopped green, red, or yellow sweet pepper
½ cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (23.5-ounce) jar light traditional-flavored pasta sauce, such as Prego Heart Smart
1 cup water
2 cup packaged sliced fresh mushrooms
3 cup dried wide egg noodles
½ cup light ricotta cheese
2 tablespoon grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
½ teaspoon dried Italian seasoning, crushed
½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (2 oz.)
DIRECTIONS:
Coat an extra-large nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat skillet over medium heat. Cook beef, bell pepper, onion, and garlic until meat is browned; stirring to break up meat as it cooks. Drain off any fat. Stir in pasta sauce and water. Bring to boiling. Add mushrooms and uncooked noodles; stir to separate noodles. Return to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and gently boil about 10 minutes or until pasta is tender, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in a bowl stir together ricotta, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning. Drop cheese mixture by spoonfuls into 10 small mounds (about 1 tablespoon each) on top pasta mixture in skillet. Sprinkle each mound with mozzarella. Reduce heat to low. Cook, covered, 4 to 5 minutes or until cheese mixture is heated and mozzarella is melted. Serve immediately.
TIP : Ground turkey breast and ground chicken breast are great alternatives to the extra-lean ground beef. When seasoned and added to a dish with pasta sauce like this, it's difficult to tell the difference between ground poultry and ground beef.
Want to boost the nutrition? Try swapping the egg noodles for Barilla Protein Plus Pasta and double the vegetable amount with 2 bell peppers and more onion.
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