Penne Beef Bake

This healthy pasta dish is packed full of great flavor.  This recipe, courteous of Taste of Homes Healthy Cooking, makes a large amount, so I froze the leftovers in portion sizes 1 1/3 cup).  That way when you are in need of a quick meal, you can just pop it the microwave.  One severing is 395 calories, but if you were looking to make it even healthier you could use ground turkey instead of ground beef.  For this recipe you will need the following:

     1 (12 oz) whole wheat penne pasta

     1 pound of lean ground beef (90% lean)

     2 medium zucchini, finely chopped
     1 large green pepper, finely chopped
     1 small onion, chopped
     1 jar (24 oz) meatless spaghetti sauce
     1 1/2 cups of reduced-fat Alfredo sauce
     1 cup of low fat shredded mozzarella cheese
     1/4 tsp of garlic powder




     Cook the penne according to the package directions.  Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven, cook the beef, zucchini, pepper, and onion over medium heat until meat is no longer pink; drain.  Stir in the spaghetti sauce, Alfredo sauce, 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, and garlic powder.  Drain the penne; stir into meat mixture.
     Transfer to a 13x9 glass baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Cover and bake at 375 for 20 minutes.  Uncover, sprinkle with the remaining cheese and then bake uncovered for 3-5 minutes until the cheese is melted.