Inside-Out Lasagna

From EatingWell: January/February 2010
I liked this recipe. It was a one pot meal (once I added some ground turkey) and it really did only take about 25 minutes to prepare.

Ingredients8 ounces whole-wheat rotini or fusilli
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves cloves garlic, sliced
8 ounces sliced white mushrooms (about 3 1/2 cups) I omitted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Some ground turkey- I threw in to make a complete meal
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes with Italian herbs- it didn't say whether to drain or not, so I did- but not hard core.
8 cups baby spinach
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
3/4 cup part-skim ricotta cheese

Directions1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add pasta; cook until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms, salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until the mushrooms release their liquid, 4 to 6 minutes.
3. Add tomatoes, spinach and crushed red pepper (if using). Increase heat to medium-high; cook, stirring once halfway through, until the spinach is wilted, about 4 minutes.
4. Toss the sauce with the pasta and divide among 4 bowls. Dollop each serving with 3 tablespoons of ricotta.

(4 servings, about 1 1/2 cups each)
Nutrition (without the added turkey): 364 calories; 9 g fat (3 g sat, 4 g mono); 14 mg cholesterol; 16 g protein; 7 g fiber; 588 mg sodium; 786 mg potassium.

Beef Noodle Bowl from Kraft Foods

Prep Time:10 min

Total Time:30 min
Makes:4 servings, 2 cups each

Ingredients
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) linguine, uncooked
3 cups broccoli florets
3 carrots, peeled, sliced
2 tsp. oil
1 lb. beef sirloin steak, cut into strips
1/4 cup KRAFT Asian Toasted Sesame Dressing
1 Tbsp. teriyaki sauce

COOK pasta in large saucepan as directed on package, adding vegetables to the boiling water for the last 2 min.

MEANWHILE, heat oil in large nonstick skillet. Add meat; cook until browned on all sides, stirring occasionally. Stir in dressing and teriyaki sauce; cook 2 min. or until sauce is thickened, stirring occasionally.

DRAIN pasta mixture; place in large serving bowl. Add meat mixture; toss to coat.

Kraft Kitchens Tips
For added crunch, sprinkle with 1/2 cup PLANTERS Dry Roasted Peanuts just before serving.
Variation Prepare as directed, using KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing, adding 1 tsp. ground ginger and increasing the teriyaki sauce to 1/4 cup.

The Result: Success! Matt said it was one of the best things that I ever made for him (you never know what will tickle their fancy.) Eli liked the noodles and actually ate the carrots. The good thing about this method of cooking the carrots was that they were not too well done. Yay! Another yay, a one pot meal. What I did differently was 1) I used whole wheat linguine pasta. 2) I had a roast so I did it in the crock pot and shredded it in. 3) I didn't have the right type of dressing so I mixed up vinegar and sesame oil. The dressing ingredients when I looked at them online were listed as: WATER, APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, SOY SAUCE (WATER, WHEAT, SOYBEANS, SALT), HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, SUGAR, SOYBEAN OIL, SESAME SEEDS, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF GINGER, ROASTED GARLIC, CARAMEL COLOR, SESAME OIL, ROASTED GARLIC JUICE, XANTHAN GUM, POTASSIUM SORBATE AND CALCIUM DISODIUM EDTA AS PRESERVATIVES, PROPYLENE GLYCOL ALGINATE, POLYSORBATE 60, VINEGAR, SPICE, NATURAL FLAVOR, SALT. (I need some soy sauce.)

Nutrition Information: (But I think mine was healthier)

Calories 440 Total fat 11 g Saturated fat 3 g Cholesterol 60 mg Sodium 440 mg Carbohydrate 53 g Dietary fiber 5 g Sugars 9 g Protein 30 gDiet Exchange
3 Starch,1 Vegetable,3 Meat (L),1/2 Fat