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If you love big portions without all the calories, this Healthier Spaghetti Bake is for you. Low calorie does not mean you have to sacrifice flavor.
Two years ago I made these Bacon, Egg & Toast Cups and I've made them for almost every brunch since. Four years ago my kiddos went nuts for Spike Mendelsohn's Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake, trust me they are so insanely tasty. Five years ago this Cheesy Pepperoni Pizza Dip helped me kick off dip season.
Ingredients
- 8 oz extra lean ground beef (97/3)
- 8 oz extra lean ground turkey
- salt and pepper
- 12 oz broccoli crowns, break any large pieces apart
- 8 oz sliced white button mushrooms
- 1-1/4 lbs (20 oz) dry whole wheat spaghetti
- 4 cups pasta sauce*
- 2 cups low fat ricotta cheese
- 1 cup cottage cheese, 2%
- 2 links Johnsonville fully cooked Smoked Turkey Sausages with Cheddar**, sliced into coins & quartered
- 4 oz shredded light mozzarella cheese, divided
- 4 Tablespoons shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, divided.
Directions
- In a skillet over med-high heat, cook beef and turkey until cooked through (make sure to season with salt and pepper while cooking). Remove from pan and without wiping out, add broccoli and mushrooms over med-high heat (if your skillet needs a little more grease spray it with some cooking spray). Cook mushrooms until slightly browned and broccoli has softened slightly (it will help if you can put a lid on the pan after sauteing for a few minutes with a Tablespoon of water to create a little steam). Remove from heat and salt slightly.
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook spaghetti until al dente according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine meat mixture, pasta sauce, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese and diced sausages.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Prepare a 9 x 13 baking dish by lightly spraying bottom and sides with cooking spray.
- Add half of the cooked spaghetti to the bottom of the pan. Pour half of the meat sauce-cheese mixture over the spaghetti. Add all of the broccoli-mushroom mixture on top of the sauce. Sprinkle with half the mozzarella and half the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Top with the remaining spaghetti and the rest of the sauce. Sprinkle with final amounts of mozzarella and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.
- Bake for 40 minutes until cheese is bubbling.
- *I decided to use a "spaghetti sauce" instead of a marinara. I felt a marinara would be too watery for this dish. But maybe adding tomato paste to the marinara might be an option. Just make sure you stick to a sauce that is 70 calories per 1/2 cup serving.
- **I used the fully cooked Johnsonville Smoked Turkey sausages with cheddar. There are lots of low-calorie sausages you could use. Choose whatever works best for you. Look for ones that are 120 calories per link to stay within this recipe's calorie parameters.
- Make sure to season with salt and pepper to your own taste.
