I have tried several whole wheat pastas and they have all been surprisingly delicious. I enjoyed the Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Pasta and Meijer Organic. Be aware that some whole wheat pastas are not 100% whole wheat, such as Barilla, which is only 51% whole wheat.

To make the pasta, bring water to a boil, and add a little bit of salt and olive oil for flavor and to prevent the pasta from sticking together.

Sauce Ingredients

• 1 box Pomi Italian Strained Tomatoes
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon pepper
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter

Combine all the sauce ingredients into a sauce pan and heat up to melt the butter. Stir thoroughly to ensure the ingredients are mixed.

When pasta is nice and al dente, drain thoroughly and scoop some pasta on a plate. Add sauce to taste. To take this dish to the next level, grate some parmesan over the pasta. A rotary grater makes this easy and this tastes way better than pre shredded parmesan in a can.

The sauce recipe is an original creation, and the Pomi strained tomatoes are vastly superior to any canned tomato paste. Who knew whole wheat pasta could taste so good?

Baked pasta is a simple variation on tradition pasta recipes. Take your cooked pasta, toss it on a casserole dish, put some ricotta or cottage cheese on it, spread pasta (tomato) sauce over top, and sprinkle some grated mozzarella.  Then place it in an oven for a few minutes.

Not only is this easy, but a standard baked pasta dish will make enough for refrigerated leftovers (the cheese adds calories which in turn reduces necessary portion sizes).

Baked pasta is also a more diverse taste experience. Plain pasta with sauce lacks an oomph (unless you have prepared terrific sauce). Eating baked pasta over several days is not particularly boring.

Here is our standard recipe:

Ingredients

• One box of your favorite pasta (penne, linguine, fettuccine, etc.).
• One can/bottle of organic pasta sauce (or make it fresh).
• Mozzarella cheese, grated (enough to cover the casserole dish).
• Ricotta or cottage cheese.
• Parmesan cheese (freshly grated is best).

Preparation

1. Cook pasta to desired tensity (follow box instructions), strain.
2. Spread strained pasta around a large rectangular casserole dish.
3. Place a few spoonfuls of ricotta or cottage cheese throughout the pasta.
4. Spread pasta sauce over top.
5. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese and a bit of Parmesan over everything.
6. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes, or until the cheese melts. Over-cooking slightly (golden brown) will not hurt it.

Variations

• Add meat and/or meatballs to the sauce. Ground beef works well.
• Add onion/green pepper/mushroom to the sauce.