Light Baked Spaghetti
 
 
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 8 ounces angel hair pasta, whole wheat or preferred type
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 8 ounces chicken sausage, crumbled, see note
  • 2 bell peppers, stems removed and diced, see note
  • 8 ounces sliced cremini mushrooms
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
  • 1 cup fresh basil leaves, torn
  • ½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
  • ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • Cooking spray
Directions
  1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil then cook pasta according to package instructions for al dente, drain.
  2. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large nonstick skillet. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the crumbled chicken sausage and cook until browned, about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms, salt and Italian seasoning. Cook until the veggies are tender, about 5 minutes.
  3. Add the crushed tomatoes, basil and ¾ cup of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for 15 minutes. The sauce should be thickened slightly.
  4. While the sauce is simmering, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9”x13” pan with cooking spray.
  5. When the sauce is done simmering, toss in the pasta until coated. Add half the pasta mixture to the baking dish. Sprinkle with half of each cheese then add the remaining pasta mixture on top. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 20-25 minutes, removing the foil with 5 minutes left. If you want the top to be crunchier you can broil for a couple minutes at the end. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
You can use any type of chicken sausage you prefer. Sweet Italian, roasted garlic or sun-dried tomato and basil are all great options. If your chicken sausages have thick casings that are able to be removed then remove them before crumbling. If the casings are soft and crumble along with the sausage then just do that instead.
You can use any type of bell peppers you prefer. I don’t like green peppers so I used 1 red pepper and 1 orange pepper.
Recipe by Lemon & Mocha at http://www.lemonandmocha.com/2019/10/16/light-baked-spaghetti/