You Have Got To Try These Recipes

Holy cow…I had one fantastic meal tonight!

Earlier this evening, Jay and I had my parents over for dinner. I always know it’s a safe bet to go Italian when my parents are around, so I decided to go that route. Italian food is always ok in my book, too.

Here’s the spread:

A simple veggie salad

Store-bought garlic bread (which was absolutely COVERED in garlic butter, and absolutely AMAZING at that!)

And the main course: Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes, & Cheese

This meal was out-of-this-world! I’m telling you, if you are looking to make an Italian, one-dish casserole at any time in your life, this has got to be it.

I found the original recipe on myrecipes.com, which actually turned out to be a Cooking Light recipe. I followed the original recipe fairly closely, with a few modifications to better suit our tastes. Here’s my version:

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Baked Pasta with Sausage, Tomatoes, & Cheese

• 1 (1-pound) package uncooked ziti (short tube-shaped pasta)
• 1 pound sweet turkey Italian sausage links
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 (14.5-ounce) cans Italian-style diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1 cup marinara sauce
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• Cooking spray
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded fontina cheese
• 3/4 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain the pasta, and set aside.

Remove casings from sausage. Cook sausage, onion, and garlic in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until browned, stirring to crumble. Add the tomato paste, salt, pepper, tomatoes, and marinara sauce, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Combine cooked pasta, sausage mixture, and basil. Place half of the pasta mixture in a 4-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Top with half of mozzarella, fontina, and half of Parmesan. Repeat layers.

Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. ENJOY!

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My plate:

Lots of salad, drizzled with my current salad dressing obsession.

I tried my best to keep my portions in check with the pasta, to try to curb any tummy troubles. So far, so good (knock on wood!) But I easily could have eaten five times this much…it was that good.

Garlic bread (x2)

Again, I also probably could have eaten half the loaf of garlic bread, but I knew I had to save room for dessert…

How could I not save room for THIS???

YUMMM, right?

I created this low-fat chocolate strawberry trifle, which really couldn’t have been simpler to make. I simply layered a store-bought chocolate angel food cake, sugar-free chocolate pudding, frozen strawberries, non-fat strawberry yogurt, and fat-free whipped topping.

In case you want to try to re-create it for yourself, here’s the exact amounts I used:

Low-Fat Chocolate Strawberry Trifle

• 1 store-bought chocolate angel food cake, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 boxes sugar-free chocolate instant pudding, prepared with skim milk
• 1 6oz. container non-fat strawberry yogurt
• 3/4 bag frozen sliced strawberries (not in juice/syrup)
• 1 tub fat-free whipped topping

Layer all ingredients in the order above into a trifle bowl. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes. ENJOY!

Luckily, I was quite happy with the way it turned out, it was a hit with everyone, AND there’s plenty of leftovers. Mwaaahahaha.

I may or may not have gone back for seconds…I’ll let you decide.

So finally, before I go it’s time to announce the winner to the “Gift Card & Cookies Giveaway”

Congratulations, Kristen!

*Please email me with your shipping info, along with your cookie of choice to sweettoothcourtney[@]gmail[.]com.

Hope ya’ll had a great Tuesday!!

Question for the Evening:

Do you have a favorite go-to recipe when company comes over to eat?