Keeping the Spaghetti Real

I have always loved pasta. Even though I know I do not come from an Italian heritage, I'm fairly certain that it's in my blood; how it got there I'm unsure but I love all things Italian! Unfortunately, I don't do great with pasta (complex carbohydrates) from a health perspective since I turn those types of carbohydrates into sugar and if I'm gonna have sugar in me, I want to ingest it! I take medication to keep my sugar levels reasonable. I'm not a diabetic but if I didn't mind what I eat, I very well could be. I literally crave pasta because I think that creating "something" that goes over pasta is just good food. However, I usually only eat pasta about once per month so I've been looking for something to help "feed my need" while not throwing my insulin levels out the window. 

Anyway, I love to find recipes and post to Pinterest. Well, not just recipes but other things as well but recipes has been high on my Pinterest board list. This week I kept seeing a pin from many folks for "one pot spaghetti". So, tonight I figured, I would give it a try so I looked up those recipes and honestly, I was not overly impressed...I think the recipes were just too simple for me. So, I took some liberties while following some of their instructions and in order to keep it more healthy, I also made some other adjustments as well. 

For instance, I used the Ancient Harvest brand of quinoa noodles (rotini) tonight. I also used ground turkey instead of ground beef and I put way more seasoning than they called for in their recipes. I also used Classico traditional tomato and basil since it has the least amount of sugars of any canned or pre-prepared pasta sauce. While I deviated from the recipes that I found online, I did not deviate from the "one pot approach". I must say, it's not really what I'm used to when I prepare spaghetti but it made for a good dinner. 

Here's the recipe: 

1/2 large onion
2 cloves of garlic (elephant...meaning big cloves). You might like yours more garlicky so adjust as needed. 
2 small sweet peppers (these are like bell peppers but not as "bell peppery tasting". I don't dig bells). 
2 Tbsp EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
1.25 lbs ground turkey
Baby portabellas (use as many as you like, again, this is all about what you like) 
14 oz. free range chicken broth
1 jar Classico tomato and basil
1 14 oz can diced tomatos (I always use basil, garlic and oregano ones and don't drain). 
12 oz. rotini pasta
Basil
Oregano
Salt and Pepper to taste

I put the first three items in a food processor since I love to hit a button and "chop-o". 

In a large saucepan or pot, saute the above chopped vegetables on medium in the EVOO until they are tender, don't overcook. Brown the turkey (I didn't drain it and the dish wasn't greasy). Add the mushrooms, chicken broth, tomato sauce, tomatoes and pasta. I then lightly salted (note, I didn't salt until this step) and added the basil and oregano. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer for about 16-19 minutes (depending on how you like your pasta) and I checked it every 5 minutes or so, stirring. Depending on your stove, you might need to add a little water if the liquid evaporates and the pasta still needs a little more cook time. Unlike the recipes I found, I didn't use water since I used a can of diced tomatoes...just figured it gave me a little extra liquid and didn't need the water. I was right. The consistency of the dish was perfect and while it didn't taste like my traditional spaghetti, it was very good. 

Here's the thing about this recipe, it's gluten-free as well. If you are a vegetarian, don't use turkey, use zucchini, broccoli or other meaty vegetables instead. I have plans to take traditional recipes and find ways to reduce the fat and calories as well as finding alternative sources for food I love like pasta. I love quinoa and this pasta definitely "kept the spaghetti real". 

--Kim