Baked Ziti with Turkey Meat Sauce

Baked-Ziti-Turkey-Sauce-Italian-Health-Gluten-Free-Recipe-Spry
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  • Yield: 9 servings

Ingredients

1pound extra lean ground turkey
2cups shredded carrots
1large onion, peeled and diced fine
3cloves of garlic, passed through a garlic press
1tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2cups homemade marinara sauce (recipe below) or a can of no salt added tomatoes)
1cup low-sodium chicken stock
8ounces spelt rotini (or whole grain penne)
2tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
1/2-3/4cup shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
Marinara sauce (makes 3 cups)
1tablespoon olive oil
1/2large yellow onion, diced
1/4teaspoon red pepper flakes
2large cloves of garlic, minced
1tablespoon (heaping) tomato paste
2 1/2cups fresh roma tomatoes, diced
2cups clean low sodium tomato sauce
1tablespoon dried oregano
1teaspoon sea salt
1teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350*F.
  2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and cook turkey, carrots, onions, and garlic until nicely browned. Add chicken stock, marinara sauce, pasta, and basil.
  3. Reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes. Pasta should be cooked al dente.
  4. Turn pasta mix into baking dish. Sprinkle top with shredded mozzarella.
  5. Place in oven and baked for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.

MARINARA SAUCE

  1. Heat olive oil in a large sauce pan or stock pot over medium heat. Add onion and red pepper flakes, and saute until onion is translucent.
  2. Add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 minute longer.
  3. Add diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and oregano. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  4. Using a hand-held immersion blender, blend sauce until desired smoothness. Season with salt and pepper.

Recipe courtesy of Jennifer, a sound effects designer from Muskoka Ontario, passionate about healthy living and being fit. An active lifestyle of lifting weights, hiking and golfing inspires her passion to avoid processed foods and use fresh, local ingredients whenever possible. More recipes inspired by these principles can be found on her blog Edible Sound Bites.