Baked Cavatelli

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Baked pasta is one of our favorite dishes when we're craving Italian, and this baked cavatelli always satisfies. Plenty of diced tomatoes and fresh baby spinach help give this cheesy, saucy dish a veggie-filled boost.

Baked Cavatelli
Prep Time:
25 mins
Bake Time:
40 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 5 mins
Servings:
10

Ingredients

  • 8 ounce dried cavatelli pasta (about 3 -1/2 cups)

  • 1 12 ounce package frozen cooked and crumbled ground meat substitute (soy protein) or 12 ounces Italian-flavor cooked chicken sausage, chopped

  • ½ cup chopped green onions (4)

  • 2 teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed

  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper

  • 2 14.5 ounce cans fire-roasted diced tomatoes, undrained

  • 1 24-26 ounce jar roasted garlic pasta sauce

  • 1 5 ounce package fresh baby spinach, chopped

  • 1 ½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese (6 ounces)

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain well.

  2. Meanwhile, in a 4- to 6-quart Dutch oven cook ground meat substitute, green onions, fennel seeds, and crushed red pepper over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add diced tomatoes, pasta sauce, and spinach; stir until spinach wilts. Remove from heat. Stir in 1 cup of the mozzarella cheese. Stir in the cooked pasta.

  3. Spoon into a 3-quart casserole. Cover with foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Uncover. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup cheese on top. Bake, uncovered, for 15 to 20 minutes more or until cheese is lightly browned.

Tips

This recipe has added heat from crushed red pepper and fire-roasted diced tomatoes. If you want to take the heat down a notch, reduce the crushed red pepper or use regular canned diced tomatoes.

Individual Dishes:

For larger servings in individual dishes, prepare as directed through Step 2. Divide pasta mixture among six 14- to 18-ounce individual baking dishes. Cover with foil. Bake for 20 minutes. Uncover. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese. Bake about 10 minutes more or until cheese is lightly browned. Makes 6 servings.Nutrition facts per serving: 368 cal., 29 g pro., 52 g carbo., 8 g total fat (3 g sat. fat), 15 mg chol., 8 g fiber, 10 g sugar, 1,100 mg sodium. Daily Values: 75% vit. A, 54% vit. C, 37% calcium, 29% iron.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

221 Calories
5g Fat
31g Carbs
17g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Servings Per Recipe 10
Calories 221
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5g 6%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 9mg 3%
Sodium 660mg 29%
Total Carbohydrate 31g 11%
Total Sugars 6g
Protein 17g
Vitamin C 19.5mg 98%
Calcium 222.1mg 17%
Iron 3.1mg 17%
Potassium 87mg 2%
Folate, total 84.7mcg
Vitamin B-12 0.4mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.1mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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