Lightened Up Pizza Pasta Bake

12 oz. uncooked, Fiber Gourmet light rotini or Barilla Plus Rotini or Penne or whole grain rotini or penne pasta - I like to use Fiber Gourmet light rotini 1 lb Isernio's Italian chicken sausage or Jennie-O Italian Turkey sausage - I use Isernio's chicken sausage 1/2 cup yellow onion, finely diced 1/3 cup or 1 oz. Hormel mini pepperoni or 15 slices turkey pepperoni, diced 1 tsp minced garlic 3 cups zero point marinara sauce 1 cup reduced fat or fat free mozzarella cheese, shredded - I use Pantry Market low moisture part skim mozzarella from Target 2 tsp fresh parsley, finely chopped-optional 2 Tbsp diced black olives, optional   Salt and pepper, to taste

Ingredients

Step - 1

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 9x13-inch or 3- quart baking dish with non stick cooking spray; set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the pasta and until it's very al dente. Drain.

Meanwhile, in a skillet add the chicken or turkey sausage and cook for 4-5 minutes, breaking up into pieces using a spatula, until browned. Stir in the onion to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes or until translucent. 

Step - 2

Add garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook for another minute. Add 2 cups of the zero point marinara sauce to the turkey sausage mix and stir until combined. Remove from heat. 

Step - 3

Combine cooked pasta and turkey sausage mixture into a large bowl. Fold in 1/2 cup of the cheese. Pour pasta mix into prepared baking dish. Spread the remaining sauce in an even layer over the pasta. Sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

Step - 4

Top mini pepperonis or turkey pepperoni, olives, and fresh parsley, if desired. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the top is lightly golden and the cheese is bubbling. Let cool for about 5 minutes before serving.

Step - 5

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