Skinny Penne

We are really trying to revamp our diets around here, so I have been on the look out for some new healthier recipes. I have also been on a mission to stop throwing out so much food that goes bad before we can eat it. So, with that in mind, I got creative and cobbled together a recipe based loosely on something I saw on Pinterest the other day.
I had sausage and Greek yogurt that was getting dangerously close to the expiration date, so I present to you Creamy Skinny Sausage Penne!

It was actually really good! It was Greyson, Jared AND Tom approved! (Uncle Tom came over to play with Grey the other day--those two deserve a post all of their own!)

I was a bad blogger and didn't get a good photo, but I do have a before the spaghetti mess pic of Grey. He was a huge fan and showed his appreciation by covering his face and hair with sauce.


Ingredients:
1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce (we love the Hunt's Traditional that comes in a can)
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tbsp dried minced onions
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 12oz container of Greek yogurt
1 lb Jimmy Dean's reduced fat breakfast sausage
1 box of whole wheat penne pasta
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 cup low fat shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil a pot of water for your penne. Once boiling, add noodles and cook while the sauce is coming together.

In a LARGE skillet/pan, brown the sausage and drain off the excess fat. Pour spaghetti sauce into the skillet with the sausage. Add the oregano, basil, garlic, onions, and tomato paste. I didn't add salt because the sausage is pretty salty, and the Parmesan is also salty, but adjust for your taste accordingly. Heat this mixture through. Once the sausage mixture is hot, stir in the Greek yogurt and red pepper flakes. Once the yogurt is combined, add the cooked penne, 1/4 cup mozzarella, and all of the parmesan.

Now, I actually dumped all of this into a casserole dish and topped it with the remaining mozzarella and cooked it in the oven for 10 minutes. I don't think that's completely necessary though. I think the next time I make it, I will just top the pasta mixture with the mozzarella in the pan and cover it with a lid so that the cheese melts.

A healthy serving is 450 calories according to my calculations. We had this with a side of roasted zucchini, and it was delicious! Enjoy!

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