This delicious Cheesy Baked Penne with Vegetables is found on page 58 of the January 17, 2014 All You magazine.  It was very quick and easy to make.  The cost is listed at $2.97 per serving, but it only cost me around $6 to make the entire dish.  That’s just $1 per serving! If you are Gluten Free it will cost just a tad more for the Gluten Free pasta, but totally worth it!

I have been going no carb or low carb for so long I thought it wouldn’t hurt to have a low protein meal. The kids squawked a little, but cheese makes everything better!

Hint for kids: If you finely chop up the veggies kids tend not to like, they will eat them not even knowing they are there!

• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound penne rigate
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 small red bell pepper, seeded, finely chopped
• 1 small yellow squash, chopped
• 1 small zucchini, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cups (32 oz.) spaghetti sauce
• 1/2 cup torn fresh basil
• 2 cups ricotta
• 12 ounces shredded mozzarella
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. Bring a large pot of with salt to boiling. Add in the penne and cook for about 10 minutes.

2. Cut and Saute the veggies for about 6-8 minutes

3.Drain the pasta,  add spaghetti sauce, stir in the veggie mixture and basil. Salt and pepper to taste.  Mix together ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan.

4. Spray  9-by-13-inch pan with Pam. Spread half of the pasta mixture evenly in the dish. Toss spoonfuls of the ricotta mixture all over. Dump the rest of the Penne and spread out in the pan, shake the remaining Cheese mixture on top and Bake for about 35 minutes. I recommend letting it sit for about 10 minutes to let everything set up after taking it out of the oven.

Tonight I made this dish from the Feb All You Magazine. I thought it was really good. The entire meal cost $11.88 for all the supplies and I even doubled it for my family. So about $.99 a serving.

Orecchiette with Broccoli, Tomatoes and Sausage

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Yield: Serves 6
Cost per Serving: $1.21

Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 ounces hot or sweet Italian sausage, removed from casings
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes, with juice
Salt
1 pound orecchiette or pasta shells
4 cups small broccoli florets (from one head)
Shredded Parmesan, optional

Preparation
1. Warm oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add sausage and cook, breaking up with a wooden spoon, until it loses its pink color, about 6 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice and 1/4 tsp. salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of juice has evaporated and sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes.

2. While sauce is cooking, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Stir in pasta and cook according to package label directions. In last 2 minutes of cooking time, stir in broccoli and continue to cook until pasta is al dente and broccoli is tender. Drain, return to pot and toss with sauce. Serve immediately, with shredded Parmesan on the side, if desired.