Quick Fix : Baked Ziti with Turkey Meatballs

This is a quick meal for those on the go. The sauce and cheese was leftover from making pizza on Sunday. We always have a package of pasta on hand as well as the turkey meatballs in the freezer.

1 Jar Trader Joes Bolognese Sauce
8 oz Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
4 Frozen Trader Joes Turkey Meatballs
1/4 lb Asparagus, chopped into 1/2 in pieces
8 oz Ziti Pasta

Directions:
1.Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.Bring a pot of water to a boil. Add a bit of salt to season the water. Cook pasta till right before al dente about 8 minutes (package called for 9 minutes).
3.As pasta is cooking, empty pasta sauce and add frozen turkey meatballs in a pan with a metal handle (will go into oven). Bring to a simmer 5 minutes. Chop turkey meatballs into quarters (optional) and continue to simmer.
4.Right before you drain pasta, add the asparagus to the sauce, mix. Drain pasta (reserve 1/4 cup pasta water), add pasta to the sauce, mix. If the mixture is too thick add a bit of the pasta water to thin out.
5.Turn off heat to burner. Add a hand-full of mozzeralla, mix. Do not over mix, its just to incorporate the cheese throughout.
6.Top the dish with the rest of the cheese evenly and bake 10 minutes. At this point if the cheese is not golden, set oven to broil and cook till top is golden.


Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes

*Note: Try with other vegetables, whatever you have on hand. I sometime add other spices like fennel seed or fresh basil. This dish also freezes well. After topping with cheese do not bake, let cool, cover and freeze. No need to thaw, pop in a 375 degree oven and bake 30 minutes, uncover, bake till bubbly and golden.