Last night’s recipe was another that just kinda popped into my head randomly. I have no idea where it came from! I pulled some meatballs out of the freezer on Sunday without giving any real thought to how I would use them…and when I woke up Monday morning, I had a plan.
Baked ziti was one of my FAVORITE dishes as a kid. I ordered it every single time we went out to eat at in Italian restaurant. This time I decided to put a bit of a non-traditional healthy twist on an old fav!
I started by sauteing some onion and garlic in a large pan. I chopped up some previously cooked turkey meatballs that I made a couple months ago and added them to the pan. Then I added some crushed tomatoes, basil and oregano and lots of fresh baby spinach.
Next I added some rigatoni (I cut the noodles in half to help them fit into the peppers better) and a little bit of low-fat cheese.
Finally, I prepped some red peppers. I cut just enough off the bottom to let them sit level in the pan, and then I cut out the stem and seeds. I stood them in a small pan side by side and scooped in the filling.
I baked the peppers at 400 degrees for about 20 minutes.
This was an easy way to sneak an extra serving or two of veggies into one of my favorite pasta dishes! Using low-fat cheese and adding spinach also help boost the nutritional value!
Having a bite of red pepper in every bite was a great addition!
What’s your favorite way to stuff a pepper?
Enjoy!
–Lindsay–
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Anything that starts with onions and garlic and ends up in a pepper has to be delicious! YUM 🙂
What a creative idea! I like to stuff my peppers with quinoa, beans, and lots of veggies!
yummmm….quinoa and orzo are two of my fav things to stuff them with!
oh wow, these look perfect!!! i usually stuff peppers with some kind of quinoa or rice mixture – i’ve never used pasta though!
def give the pasta a try! it’s a fun change up!
YUM! This looks so incredible!
thank you!! they were great!
Creative as usual, Miss Lindsay! This is strange because I was just thinking about making stuffed shells or tomatoes.
I’m not sure why that is strange exactly, as they aren’t really the same thing. Maybe we’ve just got stuffing on the brain?
stuffed shells are SO GOOD. sometimes i think we have the same brain!
yum! This looks better than any version of baked ziti I’ve ever had! I love stuffed peppers, so tender and juicy!
Great idea! The thing about me n’ pasta is portion control issues. This would totally help with that. I usually only stuff peppers for southwestern-style dishes.
i know….it’s a perfectly portioned meal!
Okay I was going to say something crude to your question of how I prefer to stuff the pepper. LOL. But, I will hold back. 🙂
I actually have never had this dish before. I have never stuffed a pepper. LOL – I’m an idiot I know.
I actually have had stuffed poblanos and those were magnificent but I have to try this version b/c I’m in love with red bell peppers.
WHAT?!! never had a stuffed pepper? get on it girl. so good.
Baked ziti was also my favorite as a kid also! always ordered it when we went to our favorite Italian restaurant Romeos! Bookmarked!
isn’t it just the best!
this is a great idea! my husband doesn’t like stuffed peppers so i’ll have to save this for a night he’s out 🙂
haha, perfect then because it’s easy to make just one!
the rigatoni inside the pepper is just brilliant! =) this looks awesome!!!
thanks my dear 🙂
Great idea! I would never have thought to stuff with pasta…rice, quinoa, etc. always come to mind first. But this looks super healthy and hearty!
i know, me too usually, but pasta was a fun way to change it up!
pasta dish in a stuffed pepper? love it!!!!!!! never would have thought of it, but LOVE it 🙂
haha, it was quite tasty!