Baked Rigatoni Al Forno $ 8.07

Happy New year!! A year ago we kicked off our first food blog that got us shopping, cooking, saving money,being organized and most importantly - Healthy. This year we are taking it a step further, and blogging, creating, and cooking as if we live in a food desert and dont have access to full service grocery stores. There can be NO excuses to eating healthy, just solutions, even in a food desert. Since it is New Years Day, and Rose Bowl watching day, I made a nice hearty pasta dish. Anytime, a recipe calls for canned tomato sauce, or diced tomatoes, and they can be found at a convenience store, I think they shoud be purchased and used. Tomatoes are high in Antioxidents-beta carotene, vitamin E and C. They are also very high in the carotenoid lycopene. All of the nutrients play a role in keeping heart risks at bay as well as cancer. Interestingly enough, canned tomatoes contain even more nutrients then fresh, it seems the canning process enhances the nutrients found in tomatoes. This dish also calls for cheese which provides dairy and calcium, and pasta which gives the body carboydrates. I found many versions of this dish on tons of websites, from Weight Watchers, to Giada, to Mario Batali to the Food Network, and most every recipe was a bit different. This pasta dish will definitely be made again and again with variations. Pasta and cheese, how can you go wrong? This recipe is very basic and I found it on the Food Network site. The only fresh ingredient that we are missing is fresh garlic, and I think for flavor garlic powder does a great job in intensifying flavor.

serves 6
1 lb tube pasta $ 1.50
1 1/2 cup mozarella cheese $1.69
1/2 cup parm cheese .40
1 can 15 oz tomato sauce $1.99
1 can diced tomato $1.59
1 tablespoon olive oil .40
1 tablespoon garlic powder .20
2 tsp dried onion .10
2 tsp dried red pepper flakes .10
2 tsp dried basil .10
Total
$ 8.07 $ 1.35 per person
At my local convenience store tomato sauce and diced tomatoes as well as pasta are on sale quite often. As we get going on this blog we will cordinate recipes with sales items for the week, as well as searching out recipes from healthy blogs, and chefs and health professionals as well.

heat oil on low, add onion,garlic powder, basil, red pepper and saute for few minutes
add diced tomato and tomato sauce
simmer on low for an hour
boil pasta noodles
drain
pour in baking dish and toss in sauce
toss in 1 cup mozarella cheese
sprinkle remaining mozarella cheese and parm cheese on top of pasta and bake for 30 minutes on 350