Penne Spinach Lasagna

Picture coming. I was in the mood for lasagna but didn't have the time to layer all the ingredients. I decided to come up with something similar using Penne pasta. It was much easier yet still had the rich cheesy taste of lasagna.

Ingredients

1 pound uncooked penne pasta

2 pounds of ground turkey (You could use ground beef or Italian sausage)

1 onion, chopped

1/4 teaspoon minced dry garlic

1 jar (28 ounces) spaghetti sauce

1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes

1 egg, beaten

1 carton (15 ounces) ricotta cheese

1 package chopped spinach, thawed (Squeeze out moisture using paper towels)

2 cups shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

1/2 cup grated Romano cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions; drain. Cook meat, onion, and garlic over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the spaghetti sauce, tomatoes, spinach, and pasta. In a bowl, combine the egg, mozzarella cheese.

Spoon half of the pasta mixture into a greased shallow 3-quart baking dish; layer with cheese mixture and remaining pasta mixture. Cover and bake at 375 degree for 40 minutes. Uncover; top with Romano cheese. Bake 5 minutes longer or until heated through.

Yield: 10-12 servings.