Baked Penne with Aspargus and Turkey

Another Clean Eating recipe from http://www.cleaneatingmag.com/ that I changed up a bit.

13.5 oz. whole wheat penne pasta
1 lb asparagus, trimmed and cut into 2 inch pieces
Cooking spray
1 lb lean ground turkey
3 cups organic pasta sauce - I used Muir Glen Garlic Roasted Garlic
1/2 t. dried basil
1 t. minced garlic
1 small onion, minced
1/4 t. sea salt
1 cup part skim mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook penne according to directiosn. When pasta is 1 minute from being done, add asparagus and boil for 1 minute. Drain and return to pot.

Meanwhile, coat a large skillet with cooking spray. Cook ground turkey and onions until turkey is browned, add garlic, basil, salt and pepper to taste. Add pasta sauce and simmer until heated through.

Add turkey meat sauce to penne and asparagus and stir to combine.

Coat a 2 quart baking dish with cooking spray and add 1/2 the penne mixture and sprinkle with 3/4 of the mozzarella. Add remaining penne, then sprinkle remaining mozzarella and top with Parmigiano-Regianno. Bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving. This makes six servings. And it's really good.

The original recipe did not call for onion or for fresh garlic - rather garlic powder. I thought it needed onions. And I think it was an excellent addition. The original recipe also called for just tomato sauce. I couldn't find it and replaced it with organic pasta sauce. Again, a good substitute.