Mexican Style Baked Pasta

Prep: 20 minutesCook: 45 minutesServes: 8

Ingredients

  • Nonstick cooking spray
  • 1 package (16 ounces) AFS® Butternut Veggie Noodles
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¾ pound ground turkey
  • 1 large yellow bell pepper, diced
  • 1 jar (15 ounces) mild or medium chunky salsa
  • 1 package (1 ounce) less-sodium taco seasoning
  • 1 package (8 ounces) finely shredded Mexican cheese blend
  • 4 green onions, sliced (about ¼ cup)
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375°. Spray 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray; add Veggie Noodles, oil and salt and toss to combine. Cover dish with foil; bake 30 minutes.
  2. In large skillet, cook turkey and pepper over medium-high heat 8 minutes or until browned, breaking up meat with side of spoon; stir in salsa and seasoning. Heat to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 3 minutes or until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; fold in 1 cup cheese.
  3. Toss turkey mixture with Veggie Noodle mixture; sprinkle with remaining 1 cup cheese. Bake, uncovered, 15 minutes or until top is browned. Let stand 5 minutes; serve sprinkled with onions and cilantro.

Note from Dietitian

The butternut noodles are an excellent source of vitamins A and C and lower in carbohydrate and calories than most pasta. This recipe contains 873mg sodium and 14g fat (51% of total calories) and 6g saturated fat (22% of total calories) per serving. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend limiting daily sodium intake to 2300mg and saturated fat to no more than 10% of total daily calories. Limit sodium and saturated fats in other daily meals as part of a balanced approach to a healthy diet. Consider serving with a carbohydrate-based side or using this dish to balance higher carbohydrate meals in order to manage carbohydrate intake to about 60-70% of your daily caloric intake.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Agriculture. 2015 - 2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. 8th Edition. December 2015. Available at https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/

Approximate nutritional values per serving

  • 245 Calories
  • 14g Fat (6g Saturated)
  • 54g Cholesterol
  • 873mg Sodium
  • 15g Carbohydrates
  • 3g Fiber
  • 5g Sugars
  • 0g Added Sugars
  • 15g Protein