The Lexingtonienne

October13th

3 Comments

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You will never believe what my husband requested for dinner last night.

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He said he wanted “something healthy.”

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Oh, the shock! (Let’s see… yep. That’s sarcasm you’re detecting.)

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I somehow stumbled across a recipe online that came from Cooking Light magazine. Snore. But it was for a cheesy macaroni bake that actually sounded pretty good.

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I figured lean ground meat (the recipe called for beef, but I used turkey) and whole wheat pasta qualified as “something healthy.”

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But instead of sauteing my veggies in cooking spray as the recipe suggested (Who does that?) I used butter.

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And I harbor a particular disdain for reduced fat cheese — gross — so I used regular strength.

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I did, however, stick with skim milk for the cheesy sauce, which — although my instincts told me it was a bad idea — worked out quite well.

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When Hubba Bubba got home from work, he apologetically clarified that “something healthy” meant “something completely devoid of carbohydrates.” And then he took a look at my pasta bake and proceeded to eat three helpings. Just to be polite, I am sure. 😉 And afterwards I confessed about the butter and the full-fat cheese. Tee-hee.

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“SOMETHING HEALTHY” PASTA BAKE
1/2 box pasta (I used whole wheat rotini, but macaroni would be super fun.)
1 T butter. OK fine it was more like 2. Or cooking spray if you really believe you can saute with that.
1/2 onion, chopped
1 carrot, grated
2-3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 package ground turkey or lean ground beef
1 15-oz can tomato sauce
1 C skim milk
2 T all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 C shredded cheddar cheese (reduced fat if you’re into that)
Extra salt & pepper for seasoning

Melt butter in a heavy pan or Dutch oven. Add onions and carrot, cooking over medium-high heat until tender. Add garlic and cook another 1-2 minutes. Add ground turkey, cooking until browned. Season with salt & pepper. Stir in tomato sauce. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook pasta according to package directions and drain. Stir pasta into turkey mixture.

Stir milk, flour, nutmeg, and 1/2 tsp salt together in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk continuously until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Stir in 1 C cheese until smooth. Stir cheese mixture into pasta & sauce mixture. Taste for seasoning, adding more salt or pepper as needed.

Transfer mixture to a lightly greased (cooking spray is fine) small casserole dish. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 C cheese on top. Bake uncovered for about 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and beginning to brown at the edges. Allow to stand for 5 minutes before serving.

xoxo,
Hannah

3 Comments

  • Comment by Kim T — October 13, 2010 @ 12:00 pm

    looks sooo delish!!! i am gonna make this!

  • Comment by Maggie — October 13, 2010 @ 2:57 pm

    maybe Mike could make that for us while he is here……thanks for sharing (the recipe and Mike !!!)

  • Comment by Ali — October 14, 2010 @ 3:01 pm

    I’m making this tonight!

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