Now, let me tell you about Supreme Pizza Pasta Bake... yes, it is as delicious as it sounds, but no, it is not as unhealthy as the name suggests! That is the bonus. I have really been working hard to come up with recipes that are both healthy and delicious, recipes that fool you into thinking your indulging when, in all reality, every bite you're putting into your mouth contains wholesome, good-for-you ingredients. This casserole-type dish fits all of those criteria perfectly!
After my grandpa passed away, all of the neighbors and friends graciously started bringing over all kinds of food for our family to help us out during our difficult time. (By the way, one bright moment in an otherwise dark week came when I tasted Rita Jackson's Dump Bars. I thought they were just superb brownies, but turns out, I was wrong. She was kind enough to share the recipe with me, and although I have not actually had the time to try it out myself yet, I promise you will see those sinful treats at a later date... probably the next time I need a "break" from my attempt at dieting haha!) One of our family friends brought over something she called Pizza Spaghetti. I didn't actually ever even see this dish, nevertheless taste it, but the mere title got the little wheels in my brain turning pretty quickly.
And, alas, Supreme Pizza Pasta Bake was born!
Here is what you will need:
- 1 lb. lean ground turkey
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
- 1 small onion, peeled and diced
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 box (16 oz.) whole grain pasta (any kind will work, we used Rotini)
- 1 can/jar spaghetti sauce
- 24 slices turkey pepperoni
- 2 cups shredded nonfat mozzarella cheese
- 1 small can of sliced olives, drained
1. Heat oven to 300 degrees F. Spray a 9x13" cake pan or casserole dish with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
2. Bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, start by sauteing your vegetables in a large skillet in a few drizzles of olive oil for 3-5 minutes, until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Add your ground turkey into the skillet and brown together with the vegetables, until turkey is cooked through. Add Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, and mix well to evenly season the turkey and vegetable mixture.
3. After your turkey is cooked through, add the spaghetti sauce to the skillet and stir into the meat and veggie mixture. Let simmer for just a few minutes.
4. Drain your pasta, if you haven't already done so, and mix together the pasta and spaghetti sauce combination until all of the noodles are coated with sauce and the ingredients are well-mixed. Pour this into the prepared baking pan.
5. Top with your turkey pepperoni slices. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese evenly over the pepperoni layer, then top with olives. Cover with foil and put into preheated oven. Bake for 30 - 40 minutes, or until heated through. (Adapt the temperature and cooking time to fit your needs- we went with a lower temp/longer baking time so that we could squeeze our workout in while we were waiting for it to be done!)
6. Remove from oven, remove foil, and let cool for five minutes before serving. Depending on your portion sizes, this should make at least 12 servings. Enjoy delicious food without the guilt!
One of the greatest things about this recipe is its versatility, as I am sure you will find yourself once you try it. The basic quality of the ingredients allows for a lot of room for "cook's interpretation." As I mentioned earlier, this Supreme Pizza Pasta Bake was a hit at our house. We loved it, and it was equally delicious the next day for lunch! Certainly, if you are not watching your calories or in the mood to splurge, you could easily un-healthify this recipe and substitute Italian sausage for the turkey, real pepperoni for the turkey pepperoni, and go wild with cheese. You could also add mushrooms for a full "Supreme Pizza" experience, but I usually opt to leave fungus out of my food. :)
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