21 Day Fix Approved Spaghetti

Italian food is my weakness.  I think I could curl up with mac and cheese, ziti, spaghetti or lasagna every day of the week and be happy.  Except for the fact that all those carbs would be horrible for my waistline!  So once we started the 21 day fix, I went on a mission to find recipes that I could use or modify for success on the 21 Day Fix.  I stumbled on a blog called http://www.alwaystime4fitness.com and saw they had a recipe for marinara.  I can't begin to describe how happy I was to find an approved pasta dish!  I did modify it a little and add some italian turkey sausage for some extra protein and seasoning and I cut the acid with a small packet of stevia, but it was a great starting recipe for me.  

Ingredients

2 Teaspoons olive oil

sweet onion to taste (finely chopped)

bell pepper to taste (finely chopped)

2 tablespoons italian seasoning

3 cloves garlic (smashed)

2 28 oz. Can crushed tuttoruso tomatoes 

1 6 oz. Can tomato paste

1 package of Italian Turkey Sausage-I get mine at Aldi

1 small packet of stevia

Brown Italian Sausage, drain and set aside. 

Heat olive oil in large sauce pan

Chop onion/bell pepper finely and use a garlic press on the garlic.  Cook over low heat until translucent and fragrant, 10-15 mins. They should NOT brown. If they do you will need to start over.

Add italian seasoning to onion and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes.

Raise heat to medium low. Add tomato paste to onion and garlic mixture. Mix well and allow to caramelize for 10-15 minutes.

 Add crushed tomatoes to pan. Add Stevia and stir well.

 Add browned italian sausage

Simmer over medium low heat for 30-60 minutes.

Serve over whole wheat noodles or spaghetti squash

Finished Product!  I love this sauce over spaghetti squash or whole wheat noodles-or a combination of both.  It is so good that my husband, who hates italian food, LOVES it!  And Hope told me it was the best spaghetti she has ever eaten-that says a lot since I used to make it all the time!  

PS-Do not be intimidated by spaghetti squash!  Just slice it in half and remove the seeds, brush the inside with olive oil, sea salt and pepper and lay it slice side down on a cookie sheet lined with foil.  Bake for 30 minutes or so at 400 degrees.  Once it is finished use a fork to remove the squash and it looks just like spaghetti noodles.  The good thing about the squash is you can use the larger green container.  I mixed it with a yellow container of  whole wheat noodles or make garlic toast out of whole wheat bread and serve with a salad.  

I made this on Saturday evening for dinner one night during the work week.  I will update with a picture of the final product on the night we eat it.  :) 

And if you are interested in learning more about a challenge group or the 21 Day Fix, comment, send me an email or go to my website.