As I am slowing down quite a bit with less than two weeks to go until my due date, I have tried to make pretty simple dinners. I adapted this recipe from the most recent issue of Everyday Food.  Instead of actually making meatballs, you simply remove sausage from its casing and roll into mini meatballs.  You make a simple tomato sauce with canned tomatoes and onions.  The sausage imparts some nice flavor on the sauce as well.

The recipe in Everyday Food called for pork sausage and regular spaghetti.  I substituted turkey sausage and whole wheat pasta to make it a bit more healthy.

Since it was just two of us, I used about 1/4 to 1/3 of a box of spaghetti.  We had lots of leftover sauce and meatballs which we froze for a quick post-baby meal!

It was an easy but tasty dinner that we enjoyed along with a salad.

And, as a side note, a meatball fell on the floor and received the Labradoodle Seal of Approval from Angus.

Easy Spaghetti & Meatballs
Adapted from Everyday Food

• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1.5 pounds hot Italian turkey sausage
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 cans of whole tomatoes in juice (28 ounces each)
• Whole wheat spaghetti
• Salt and pepper

Remove sausage from casings. Roll into 20 to 30 small “meatballs”.

Heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the meatballs on all sides. Remove with slotted spoon and place on a plate.

Add remaining olive oil and chopped onion to pan. Season with salt and pepper.   Cook until softened — about 5 minutes. Add whole tomatoes and juices to pan. Break tomatoes up with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil and add meatballs. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile boil a large pot of water for the spaghetti. Salt water before adding pasta and cooking according to directions on the package.

Serve sauce and meatballs over spaghetti.

Recipe produces enough sauce for 6 servings.

Here is another recipe courtesy of my new iPhone app.  After a long week, it was a super easy meal to prepare on a Sunday night.

I would suggest a few changes to the recipe to amp up the flavor.  In addition to the 1/2 cup of parmesan sprinkled on top of the dish, I added 1/2 cup of parmesan to the ricotta – pasta – spinach mixture.  Also, be sure to season the mixture with plenty of salt and pepper.  I used about 3/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes instead of regular black pepper.  Lastly, make sure to squeeze all the water out of the frozen spinach; otherwise, you’ll end up with too much liquid in the dish.

Next time I might consider a mixture of proscuitto and some hot sopressata.

Tim and I have plenty leftover so dinner one night this week is set!

Baked Gemelli with Spinach, Ricotta, and Prosciutto
Everyday Food

• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound gemelli pasta
• 20 ounces frozen chopped spinach, thawed
• 6 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, cut crosswise into strips
• 2 cups whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 2 cups whole milk
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt and pasta; cook until almost al dente.

Meanwhile, squeeze spinach to remove moisture. Drain pasta, and return to pot. Add spinach, half of the prosciutto, ricotta, milk, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and mix well to combine.

Transfer to a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, top with remaining prosciutto and Parmesan. Bake until golden and crispy, 30 to 40 minutes.