When I first thought about taking up clean eating I wasn’t sure it was for me. I thought I would have to give up on my long time love affair with pasta. I was overjoyed when I did a little bit of research and discovered nothing could be further from the truth. I could still have all the pasta I wanted as long as I went about it the right way. This recipe was my fist attempt at clean eating pasta and it was a huge success. It even gained the approval of my skeptical boyfriend. I added red pepper flakes to my sauce to give it a little heat but it would taste just as good without.

Ingredients:

  • 20 oz. Ground Turkey
  • 1 T. Olive Oil
  • 1/2 Yellow Onion (diced)
  • 2 Garlic Cloves (minced)
  • 2 t. Italian Seasoning
  • 1 t. Garlic Powder
  • 1 t. Onion Powder
  • 1 t. Red Pepper Flakes
  • 1/3 C. Balsamic Vinegar
  • 2 t. Honey
  • 1 Can Organic Tomato Sauce
  • 1 Box Whole Wheat Penne Pasta
  • 1 C. Fresh Grated Parmesan
  • 1/2 C. Fresh Grated Mozzarella

Directions:

  1. Heat olive oil in a large nonstick pan.
  2. Cook onion and garlic over medium low heat until tender.
  3. Add in turkey and brown.
  4. Remove meat from heat and strain.
  5. Cook noodles according to box instructions.
  6. Return empty pan to stove and heat tomato sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, honey, pepper flakes, Italian seasoning & balsamic vinegar and bring to a simmer.
  7. Stir turkey into the sauce and continue to simmer covered for 5 min.
  8. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  9. Combine noodles and sauce in a large baking dish and sprinkle with cheese.
  10. Cover with foil and cook in the oven for 30 min.
  11. Remove foil and cook for an additional 10 min