Ziti with Meat Sauce

 

Ziti with Meat Sauce

Pasta is a classic comfort food made healthier by adding fresh veggies. It also freezes well for a quick meal on a busy day.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Entree, Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Servings 6

Calories 380 kcal

Ingredients

  

• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 4 medium carrots
• 2 cans (10-ounces) reduced fat and reduced sodium condensed tomato soup
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 8 ounces dried ziti pasta
• 2 tablespoons snipped fresh basil (or 2 teaspoons dried basil)
• 1 teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

Instructions

 

• Scrub carrots and shred, using large holes on grater.
• In a large pot, cook ground beef and shredded carrot over medium heat until meat is brown.
• Drain off fat. Stir in tomato soup, water, uncooked ziti, dried basil (if using) onion powder and garlic powder into meat mixture in pot.
• Bring mixture to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and cook about 20 minutes or until ziti is tender, stirring occasionally.
• Stir in fresh basil (if using) and mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle individual servings with Parmesan cheese.

Notes

Smart Shopping Tips

• Fresh herbs can cost a pretty penny from the produce section of a grocery store. Experiment with growing your own. They’re easy and most can be grown in pots all year long.
• Fresh herbs should be added at the end of cooking time, while dried herbs are added at the beginning.

Cooking & Serving Tips:

• Use lean ground chicken or turkey instead of beef.
• Make it a vegetarian dish by replacing the meat with white pinto beans or garbanzo beans. Add beans after the ziti has cooked 10 minutes.
• Instead of ziti pasta you can use whole grain penne pasta.