Sound familiar? Don't worry, with a little help from Red Pack and the recipe below we'll have something healthy and delicious on the table in 30 minutes flat. Is that what you were looking for? :) Oh and if you leave a comment below you'll be entered to receive a fun care package from Red Pack filled with all kinds of goodies! (more info below)
Armed with 6 varieties of canned tomatoes (thanks you red gold!) I started thinking up what exactly we should have for dinner last night. I was craving some carbs in the form of whole wheat pasta, so it was a pretty easy decision to make my own sauce and bake up some zitti. Don't go thinking carbs are all bad for you either, just get a whole grain variety and making your own sauce is the sure fire way to a healthy dinner. This way you know EXACTLY what's going into your meal... no random sugar, or excessive fat here, just straight up fresh tomatoes, a little seasoning, a few more veggies, and DONE!
Using what we had on hand I went with some vegetarian "ground beef", which really takes on the texture of real beef when you put it in pasta sauce! (Bonus, it's low in fat and high in protein so it fills you up). I started with one medium onion and 3 gloves garlic (chopped) with some olive oil in a heavy bottom pan (heat the pan first!). Then added in the "ground beef" and toss everything until it is nice and browned. Next pour in 1 can of seasoned diced tomatoes (basil, garlic and oregano, seriously even more of a time saver!) and 1 can of tomato puree (no blender needed here!). I added in some black pepper, a dash of red hot (if you don't put red hot in add a little salt to taste), and a drizzle of red wine vinegar. I let this simmer for 10 minutes and it was good to go! See, easy.
While you're doing all of the above boil a pound of small shaped whole wheat pasta until desired done-ness, I'm an al-dente kinda gal how about you? Drain the pasta and toss it in with your sauce along with a handful (or two) of part skim shredded mozzarella, and some grated parmigiana cheese. Now here's the tricky part... how hungry are you really? If you're starving, serve it up now and you're done. If you can still wait a little, toss your concoction in the oven (make sure your pot is oven proof) and bake for 20-30 minutes at 350, or until the top is nice and browned. Baked or not this thing is delicious.
Truth time: I can never wait and bake it, we always just end up eating it right away! Can you wait or are you impatient like us?
Now for the giveaway. US entries only (sorry my international peeps). To enter leave a comment below telling me what your favorite thing to make with canned tomatoes is. Additional entries if you tweet or FB about it. (leave separate comments to let me know you did). (example text: Want to win some @RedGoldTomatoes with @steph_chows enter at stephchows.blogspot.com ) You have until Monday the 12th to enter.
Sponsored by Red Pack
Your email will never be displayed publicly, so don't be scared to comment! :) Oh and make sure you type in your blog link so I can click over to you! There is a spot you can type it in.