Tuesday, March 24, 2009

They'll Eat Anything

We had some friends over this past weekend and I busted out this recipe which I’ve had for a number of years. A friend of mine had given it to me and although I had never tried it, I thought I’d experiment and try it. It’s from Cooking Light and turned out to be a real crowd pleaser. It’s one you can make ahead and then pop in the oven once your guests arrive. Although I used a different kind of pasta, there’s not much else I would change, as it seemed just right for me. I served it with roasted asparagus and a spinach salad with toasted pine nuts, mushrooms and a balsamic dressing.

If you try it, let me know what you think.

Mediterranean Spaghetti

Sweet spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg balance the pungent feta and Parmesan cheeses to give a bold, intriguing flavor to a familiar meat-and-pasta dish.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: about 1 1/3 cups).


Ingredients
· 1/2 pound lean ground beef
· 2 cups chopped onion
· 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
· 2 garlic cloves, minced
· 1/2 cup dry red wine
· 1/4 cup water
· 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
· 1/8 teaspoon pepper
· 1 (14.5-ounce) can stewed tomatoes, undrained
· 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
· 2 cups 1% low-fat milk
· 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
· 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta cheese
· 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, divided
· 1 large egg
· 2 tablespoons dry breadcrumbs, divided
· Cooking spray
· 4 cups cooked spaghetti (about 8 ounces uncooked pasta)
· Fresh oregano sprigs (optional)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°.
Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the first 4 ingredients, and sauté 5 minutes. Add the wine and next 6 ingredients (wine through tomatoes). Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until thick.
Combine the flour, milk, and 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg in a medium sauce-pan, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and cook for 7 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly. Remove milk mixture from heat. Stir in feta cheese, 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese, and egg.
Sprinkle 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs in a 2-quart casserole coated with cooking spray. Place 2 cups spaghetti in casserole, and top with 2 cups beef mixture and 1 cup sauce. Repeat layers. Combine 1 tablespoon Parmesan cheese and 1 tablespoon breadcrumbs, and sprinkle over the casserole. Bake casserole at 375° for 30 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 5 minutes. Garnish with fresh oregano, if desired.


Nutritional Information
Calories:
365 (23% from fat)
Fat:
9.4g (sat 4.8g,mono 2.7g,poly 0.7g)
Protein:
22.2g
Carbohydrate:
47.4g
Fiber:
3.2g
Cholesterol:
80mg
Iron:
3.7mg
Sodium:
709mg
Calcium:
281mg

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

hey thanks for your encouraging words today, and that recipe looks fab, i will have to make a note of it, as I am always entertaining.

VRaz60 said...

I am a huge fan of Cooking Light. That, and Eating Well. They do a great job of making food interesting and healthy. I'm kinda new to the whole blogging thing, so I'm interested is seeing what everyone else is thinking and doing in regard to health and diet.

ani pesto said...

oooooh that sounds delicious! I hope you managed to get salvage some leftovers

carla said...

I love cooking light too.
and need to cook more.
way more.

Tina said...

Thanks for the recipe. I promised myself I'd try some new ones next week!

Missicat said...

Thanks for the recipe. I also love roasted asparagus, sounds like a great side dish for this.