Spaghetti & Meatballs

$11.80 total / $1.69 per serving

I absolutely love making my own marinara. It is so much more flavorful than anything canned or jarred and I know exactly what is in it! While making your own marinara takes time, it is not all active. The majority of the time it is simmering on the stove and all you have to do is stir it once in a while. This recipe can also be doubled so you can freeze half of the sauce and meatballs in freezer bags for future meals. Easy peasy!

Nutritional Highlight: Basil. Filled with anti-bacterial and anti-inflamatory effects, basil is a great herb to have in recipes. Fresh is always better to reap any health benefit, however, dried basil will still benefit you by adding flavor to a dish without any added fat. 

Spaghetti & Meatballs (serves 5-7)

Marinara
1 lb spaghetti
1lb mild or hot italian sausage
1lb ground beef
2 eggs, beaten with ½ cup milk
1 ½ cups panko bread crumbs
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp dried basil
1 tsp salt
ground pepper to taste

Start marinara sauce at least 2 hours before dinner.

Mix all ingredients (except spaghetti and marinara) together with your hands in a large bowl. Form into golf ball sized meatballs. Line meatballs on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.

**Once cooked, you can freeze them after they have cooled completely. Place the entire sheet pan in the freezer until meatballs are frozen. Then remove meatballs from the pan and place in a ziplock freezer bag.

Meanwhile, boil water in a large stockpot. Boil spaghetti until al dente. Drain. 

Serve spaghetti with marinara sauce and 3 meatballs. **Save extra meatballs and sauce for Italian Subs later in the week.**

Nutritional Analysis:

Per serving (3 meatballs, 1 cup marinara, 4 oz cooked pasta): 620 calories, 17.2g fat (7g saturated, 2.4 polyunsaturated, 7.2g monounsaturated), 79.6g carbohydrate, 30.8g protein. Extremely high in Vitamins A, B-6, C, Copper, Iron, Manganese, Phosphorus, Selenium, and Thiamin. High in Vitamin B-12, Calcium, Magnesium, Niacin, Riboflavin, and Zinc.

Italian Goulash

$6.68 total / $0.84 per serving

Nothing beats a hearty meal on the first chilly nights of fall. I love this recipe because it is so heart-warming and easily fills up the man of the house. This recipe is originally a soup, less pasta, but I'm a sucker for goulash. The more noodles the better, I say!

Nutritional Highlight: Carrots. Beta-carotene, an antioxidant that converts to Vitamin A during digestion, is one of the main nutritional highlights of this root vegetable. Carrots also contain some Vitamin C as well. Carrots can be juiced to expel all of the valuable carotenoids in large quantities to help stave off cancer and keep vision intact. 

Italian Goulash  (serves 6-8)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

2 large carrots, peeled & chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 lb hot ground Italian sausage

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning

1 -2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste

1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes

4 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock)

1 can cannellini beans

1 1/2 cups ditalini (or other small pasta)

Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium high heat. Add the diced onion and cook until it just begins to soften, about 2 minutes. Add celery and carrots; cook, stirring frequently, for another 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Add the sausage to the pot, crumbling as it cooks. Cook until the sausage is no longer pink. Stir in Italian seasoning and red pepper. Stir in tomatoes and stock.

Stir in the beans and ditalini.

Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes, stirring occasionally so pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot.

Nutritional Analysis:

Per Serving: 434 calories, 15.7g fat (7g saturated, 2.8g polyunsaturated, 10.1g monounsaturated), 54.5g carbohydrate, 21.1g protein. Extremely high in Vitamins A, B-6, C, Folate, Iron, Niacin, Phosphorus, Riboflavin, Selenium, and Thiamin. Very high in Calcium and Copper, Also good source of Vitamin B-12, Magnesium, and Manganese.

Frittata Florentine

$3.03 total / $0.76 per serving

Nutritional Highlight: Part-Skim Ricotta Cheese. High in calcium and selenium, ricotta cheese helps build your bones and protects your body from free radicals. Choosing the part-skim variety will reduce your saturated fat intake while still allowing you to benefit from the complete protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Frittata Florentine (serves 4)

¼ cup 1% milk

6 large eggs

¾ cup part-skim ricotta

¼ cup swiss

4 strips bacon

3 small potatoes, peeled and cut into coins

3 handfuls fresh spinach

vegetable oil

Place bacon on a baking sheet, lined with foil, place sheet in a cold oven. Turn oven to 400 degrees. Set a timer for 17 minutes; check bacon. Once cooked to your preference, let cool. Stack each strip on top of the other and chop into pieces. Leave oven hot.

Meanwhile, pour approximately 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large saucepan. Line with cut potatoes in a single layer. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for about 7 minutes on medium-high heat until golden. Flip and repeat. Once golden on both sides, transfer potatoes to a plate lined with a paper towel. Wilt spinach in the same pan using leftover oil. Remove spinach once wilted.

Whisk together the first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Line pan again with cooked potatoes, top with spinach. Add egg mixture. Top with bacon. Cook for about 2 minutes until the egg mixture thickens. Finish off in the oven for approximately 15 minutes until eggs are set. ****Don’t forget the pan has been in the oven; keep the handle towards the back of the stove once removed**** (I speak from experience!)

Nutritional Analysis:

Per Serving: 404 calories, 20.4g fat (9.2g saturated, 1.7g polyunsaturated, 5.7g monounsaturated), 27.8g carbohydrate, 27.5g protein. Extremely high in Vitamins A, B-12, B-6, C, Calcium, Folate, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Pantothenic Acid, Phosphorus, Riboflavin, Selenium, and Zinc. Very high in Vitamin D, Copper, and Thiamin. High in Vitamin E and Niacin.