Brooke Churches Up An Old Favorite: Chili Mac

Cavatappi is corkscrew shaped pasta. You can substitute for another type of pasta if you would like. Primavera is a pasta dish that combines vegetables with pasta.

Ingredients

  • Cavatappi Pasta (Uncooked) - 3.5 ounce, or about 1 cup dry pasta
  • Marinara Sauce - ⅓ cup
  • Ground Beef (Uncooked) - 5 ounces
  • Broccoli - 2 ounces, or about ¾ cup chopped
  • Red Onion - 1 ounce, or about ¼ cup sliced
  • Mushrooms - 1 ounce, or about ½ cup sliced
  • Basil (Fresh) - 2 tablespoons
  • Skim Milk - 3 teaspoons
  • Garlic - 2 cloves

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
  • Boil water for pasta, and cook per directions on the package.
  • In a mixing bowl, mix the ground beef, chopped basil, minced garlic and skim milk together with your hands. Form small 1 inch balls and place them in a skillet greased with cooking spray over medium heat.
  • Brown the meatball on all sides. This should take about 5 minutes. Make sure to stir them gently occasionally to make sure you get all sides browned.
  • While you are waiting on the meatballs to brown- wash, dry and cut your broccoli, red onion and mushrooms. Place just the broccoli on the baking sheet and drizzle olive oil on top. Season with a little salt and pepper.
  • Roast the broccoli for 15-20 minutes, adding the mushrooms and red onion half way through. Make sure to toss it around in the olive oil and mix it together when you add them.
  • Add the marinara sauce to the meatball when they are browned, reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for 15 minutes. Stir them occasionally.
  • Once everything is done, drain the pasta and mix it all together for a veggie packed pasta with your homemade meatballs.