Pasta Fits -- A Healthy Diet! Review and Giveaway, Ends 12/5/12

I love pasta.  ANY pasta... spaghetti, linguine, fettuccine, rotini... you name it.  Mike and Lizz are pasta fiends, too.  At least once a week, it's on our dinner table.  Whether a cold pasta salad or a hot meal -- it's probably the most versatile food you can buy!

I was recently contacted by the National Pasta Association and asked to create a pasta-based meal for my family and my readers.  Of course, I jumped at the chance!

Ya'll know I've been on a steady program to lose (safely) some unwanted pounds.  And pasta fits right in with my long-term plans.

Pasta Fits your healthy eating! Both whole and enriched varieties provide a perfect foundation for healthy, nutritious and satisfying meals. Pair pasta with a variety of nutrient-dense foods and create meals that you can feel good about serving your family. Nutritious “pasta partners” include:

✓ Fiber-filled vegetables and beans

✓ Heart-healthy fish and vegetable oils

✓ Antioxidant-rich tomato sauce

✓ Protein-packed cheese, poultry and lean meats.

Pasta Fits your diet! Watching calories? Creating lower-calorie pasta meals couldn’t be easier.  To help lower the calorie content of your favorite pasta meal, consider swapping out 1/4 to 1/2 of the pasta called for in the recipe for the same amount of beans or veggies. For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups of cooked pasta, replace one cup of the pasta with white kidney beans or steamed broccoli or a combination of the two. You’ll subtract total calories per serving and add filling fiber!

Using Heartland's Gluten-free, Wheat-free Penne Pasta, I made a casserole with spaghetti sauce, ground turkey, and skim-milk cheese! I did NOT tell the family that I was using a gluten-free, wheat free product to gauge their reaction.

PASTA BAKE:

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 pounds ground turkey breast, browned and drained
1/2 pound Italian Sausage, browned and drained
1 small onion, diced 
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 package skim-milk shredded mozzarella cheese
1 package skim-milk shredded Italian cheese (5 Cheese works great)
1 large container Ricotta Cheese

DIRECTION:

Saute diced onion and garlic in large saucepan, when onions become translucent, add ground turkey and Italian sausage.  Brown and thoroughly drain the turkey / sausage.  Pour sauce over meat mixture and simmer on low.

Prepare Penne Pasta according to direction and drain.  Add to meat mixture and combine thoroughly.

While pasta is cooking, mix the shredded cheeses together.

In 9X9 casserole dish, spread a layer of the meat mixture to cover the bottom, then spread on a layer of the ricotta, and sprinkle some of the shredded cheese.  Repeat until the cheese is on the top layer.

Place in a 350 Degree Fahrenheit oven for approx. 45 minutes.  Cheese will be nicely brown and bubbly.  Serve with hot bread and enjoy!

***If you have cheese left over, spread it on the bread and place in the over to make a superb cheesy bread!

Did my family know that it was gluten-free and wheat-free?  Nope!  Not until I told them!  Trust me, taste doesn't suffer when you go gluten and wheat free! It tasted fantastic! (We had no leftovers!)

You can discover a wealth of Pasta Recipes on the Pasta Fits website!

Pasta Fits!

• Your Lifestyle – Pasta meals can be fast and easy to make on the go! Many pasta dishes can be prepared in less than 30 minutes making pasta an ideal ingredient for everyone; from moms on the run to college students in between classes. 
• Your Budget – As of March 2012, on average pasta costs $1.45 per pound. Add lean meats and proteins to your pasta for a low budget meal that the whole family will love! 
• Your Diet – With roughly 100 calories per half cup serving, very little sodium, fat and no cholesterol, pasta is an ideal foundation for building healthy meals. Pasta is a great delivery system for protein-packed veggies and lean meats.

The folks at Pasta Fits would love to connect with you, get your feedback, recipe suggestions, and more! You can follow them @pastafits on Twitter, "LIKE" them on Facebook, and join them on Pinterest, where they post the most delicious recipes!

Those generous folks have also offered one of my readers the chance to win a fantastic Pasta Prize pack with which to make your own delicious, healthy meal for your family!

The Prize Pack includes: Dreamfields® Spaghetti, Mueller’s® Whole Grain Spaghetti, Heartland® Gluten Free Wheat Free Penne, Heartland® Gluten Free Wheat Free Spaghetti, Ronzoni Healthy Harvest® Spaghetti, Ronzoni Garden Delight® Rotini, and an Ultragrain Pasta® Spaghetti Spoon!

Just follow the entry instructions below!

***Open to USA only.  One entry per person, per email, per household, please.  All entries are verified!***

DISCLOSURE:
I received the same pasta package that is being offered to my readers.  I received no monetary compensation. The opinions expressed herein are my own and based on my own use of and experience with the item(s).

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