This is the kind of meal I grew up on in my Italian family. A thick, meaty gravy with lots of cheese and, of course, pasta. We’d make a huge pan of baked “zeet” (Soprano’s, anyone?) to bring to family and friends in times of celebration, like the birth of a baby or a graduation. But we’d also bring one over for comfort in times of grief. It always took a few hours to make, which is just not feasible for me anymore.
I’ve been obsessed with a good one-pot meal lately. Especially one that comes together in just about 30 minutes. Traditional baked pasta dishes like this usually require multiple pans and lots of time, so I wanted to streamline that process to make this weeknight friendly. You can make this all in one pot, or take one extra step that I think adds a lot to the dish. I guess that makes this a two-pot meal, but no worries. It’s still way simpler and easier than other versions I’ve tried.
As for that extra step–we’re making our own sausage from 99% fat free ground turkey. This ingredient can sometimes turn out dry and flavorless, so I like to marinate it for a while. Sometimes, that will just be for 10 or 15 minutes as I assemble my other ingredients. When I can remember, though, I try to do this step the night before. That step completely optional. I’ve made this without the marinating process and it’s still very yummy, but adding that little extra step puts this over the top.
The last thing we need to talk about is the cheese. If you have a Trader Joe’s near you, the best mozzarella for the lowest SmartPoints is their Lite Shredded Mozzarella. You could also use fat-free mozzarella to keep the SmartPoints the same. If you use regular part-skim mozzarella, that will increase the points per serving to around 8 or 9, depending on your brand. This makes for a huge serving, though, so you could lessen the servings size to save a few points.
Makes your weeknight Italian-comfort-food dreams come true by putting this on your menu NOW! Or make is for someone special in your life who needs some foodie TLC.
I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! If you make it, be sure to tag me on Instagram or Facebook (@litecravings) and use the hashtag #litecravingsrecipes. I sometimes miss a tag here or there, but I always check in on the hashtag.
One-Pot Baked Ziti with Sausage
Ingredients
- 1 pound 99% fat free ground turkey
- 1 small onion
- 1 tsp dried fennel
- 1 tsp ground sage
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp dried thyme
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (less if you don’t like spice)
- dash of nutmeg
- 1 tsp kosher salt, divided
- 1 28 ounce can crushed plum tomatoes
- 1 1/4 cups fat free chicken broth
- 10 ounces ziti, rigatoni, or penne pasta
- 1 1/2 tsp dried basil
- 1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 5 cups packed baby spinach leaves
- 1 1/2 cups light shredded mozzarella cheese (like Trader Joe’s brand)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
Instructions
OPTION 1: If you want to “marinate” the turkey
- Puree onion, fennel, sage, garlic powder, thyme, red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper to taste in a food processor. Then add to ground turkey and let “marinate” covered in the refrigerator for as long as you can, up to 24 hours.
- When you’re ready to cook, heat a very large saute pan (preferably oven-safe) over medium-high. Brown the turkey in nonstick spray until cooked through, breaking up into pieces as you cook, about 5 minutes
OPTION 2: If you don’t have time to marinade and want to just do everything at once
- Mince onion as finely as possible. In a very large saute pan, cook the onions in nonstick spray until just translucent, about 3-4 minutes.
- Add turkey to pan along with fennel, sage, garlic powder, thyme, red pepper flakes, 1/2 tsp salt, and pepper to taste.
- Raise heat to medium-high and brown the meat, mixing spices in and breaking up the meat into smaller pieces, until just cooked through, about 5 minutes
**All remaining steps are the same no matter which option you choose:
- To the cooked meat, add tomatoes, broth, pasta, minced garlic, basil, oregano, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt. Stir until everything is combined.
- Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium, and cover. Cook, stirring every few minutes, until pasta is tender, about 12-15 minutes (smaller pasta will take less time). As it cooks, add more stock or water if sauce appears too dry.
- When pasta is cooked, mix in spinach and half of the cheese until the spinach is wilted and cheese is combined throughout the sauce.
- Top with remaining cheese, cover and let sit until cheese is melted. Or, put the pan under the broiler (if your pan oven safe) to melt and brown the cheese.
This is incredible! So delicious! Do you have the calorie count in this recipe per serving? I noticed your awesome Mushrooms Chicken recipe had the calories per serving. Thanks so much in advance!
Thanks, Aleen! I love this is recipe worked for you. I’m working on updating all of my past recipes to include better instruction and full nutritional info. I just updated this one. Hope that helps!
So yummy! And so easy!! Loved this one!
This dinner was so easy to make and delicious! Thanks Geri for another great dinner.
Can this meal be frozen?
Absolutely!