Whole Wheat Pasta Bake Recipes

WHOLE WHEAT PASTA

Steps:

• Stir together the all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour and salt in a medium bowl, or on a clean board. Make a hollow in the center, and pour in the olive oil. Break eggs into it one at a time, while mixing quickly with a fork until the dough is wet enough to come together. Knead on a lightly floured surface until the dough is stiff and elastic. Cover, and let stand for 30 minutes to relax.
• Roll out dough by hand with a rolling pin, or use a pasta machine to achieve the desired thickness of noodles. Cut into desired width and shapes. Allow the pasta to air dry for at least 15 minutes to avoid having it clump together.

WHOLE WHEAT PASTA BAKE

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute chicken in 1 tablespoon butter until no longer pink. Remove and keep warm., In the same skillet, saute zucchini and onion in remaining butter. Stir in flour until blended; gradually add cream. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Reduce heat. Stir in cheese and Italian seasoning until cheese is melted; add chicken., Drain pasta; add to cheese mixture. Transfer to a greased 8-in. square baking dish. In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, butter, Italian seasoning and salt; sprinkle over top. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 10-15 minutes or until heated through and topping is golden brown.

TURKEY BAKE WITH WHOLE WHEAT PASTA

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Stir the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl; set aside on counter to allow to come to room temperature.
• Bring a pot of water to a boil; cook the penne in the boiling water until cooked through yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• While the pasta cooks, place a skillet over medium heat. Crumble the turkey into the skillet; cook and stir until the turkey is completely browned. Drain and add to the pasta.
• Spread 2 tablespoons of the spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish; stir the rest of the spaghetti sauce into the pasta and turkey mixture. Spoon about half of the pasta mixture into the baking dish; top with the cheese mixture and spread into an even layer. Spread the remaining pasta mixture over the cheese layer. Cover with aluminum foil if desired.
• Bake in the preheated oven until slightly brown on top, about 30 minutes.

BAKED WHOLE WHEAT PASTA WITH SPINACH AND MOZZARELLA

Steps:

• Almonds -- In a medium dry saute pan on medium high heat, add the almonds and cook a couple of minutes until they get golden brown. Keep an eye of them, they do not take long.
• Fresh Bread Crumbs -- If you are using dry bread crumbs, skip this step.
• Chop up the bread fairly fine. Then in that same saute pan you used to toast your almonds in, bring to medium high heat and add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil. Toss in the bread crumbs, seasoning and toast until golden brown. They only take 1-2 minutes and stir often.
• Pasta -- Cook the pasta according to package direction in salted boiling water. Drain well, return to the pot and toss with the olive oil and set to the side off the heat. As the pasta cooks, saute your vegetables.
• Vegetables -- Once again, use that same saute pan and add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and heat to medium medium/high heat. Add the garlic, onion and little salt and pepper and saute 2-3 minutes, then toss in the spinach and saute just a few seconds until the spinach is slightly wilted. Don't cook more than just a few seconds. Remove from the heat and stir in 1/2 of the lemon zest and 1 cup of the almonds. Add to the pasta along with the chicken broth. Check for seasoning, salt and pepper. Personally, I like to add some extra pepper.
• Bake -- In a 13x9 or similar size baking dish, sprayed with Pam or any non-stick spray, add the remaining lemon zest. Then add 1/2 of the pasta, 1/2 the cheese; then the rest of the pasta, and the rest of the cheese. Sprinkle with the almonds, and then top with the bread crumbs and cover with foil and bake in a 375 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 10 minutes until the bread crumbs get golden brown.
• Serve -- ENJOY! I like to keep it a bit healthy and serve with a bowl of tomato soup and a baguette with melted cheese.