Baked Spaghetti Made Healthier

This baked spaghetti {made healthier} is one of our family favorites. It turns a regular dinner into an elevated meal! I’ve lightened it up by making smart choices with ingredients, but there’s not lack of flavor here!

If your family is like mine, they LOVE pasta dinners. One of our favorites is this Mexican casserole made with penne. In order to make them healthier, we switched to whole grain pasta several years ago because it contributes about 7 grams of fiber per serving as opposed to maybe 2 grams in regular pasta.

One of my go-to recipes is baked spaghetti – a dish I’ve been making since I was a newlywed and got the recipe from an office co-worker during one of our ‘potluck Fridays’. In truth, calling it a “recipe” is probably a stretch, but it is a fantastic combination of ingredients! In order to make it healthier I start with Barilla Better for You Pasta, and lean meat.

Baked Spaghetti {made healthier}

• 1 box Whole Grain thin spaghetti
• 1 lb. lean ground beef, turkey or chicken, cooked
• 4.5 oz package of Turkey pepperoni – you’ll only need to use about half the package
• 1 jar of your favorite pasta sauce
• 2 cups shredded cheddar {use 2% if you like}

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook pasta al dente, and drain.

Place in large bowl, and add remaining ingredients. Combine well so all ingredients are equally integrated.

Pour into a 9 x 13 baking dish and cover with aluminum foil.

Bake for 30 minutes or until heated through.

Makes about 8 serving.

This meal is made healthier by using whole grain pasta, lean ground turkey {or chicken} instead of beef, and turkey pepperoni instead of traditional. You can also go the extra mile and use 2% cheese if you like. Pair this with a salad and you are good to go!

This is an excellent dinner to serve when you have out of town guests or you’re hosting a casual dinner party.

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You can find Barilla in most stores. I’ve been doing most of my shopping at Martin’s since we moved, and they have quite a range of Barilla Better for You pastas to choose from.  Have you made the switch from regular pasta to whole grain?  We find that there’s no difference in flavor, but I feel much better about serving it now.

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