As college students, we are all busy. Managing our hectic class, work and social schedules can be stressful enough. Add in thoughts of the dreaded freshman 15 and things go haywire.
Aside from worries of weight gain, food is our number one source of health-boosting goodness, food for the brain and the body.
“Hooker in the Kitchen” is designed to help you make healthy choices, leading you away from the many tempting fast food options and instead offering up fast, easy and budget-friendly weekly recipes.
After a long day of relentless lectures, part-time jobs, group work meetings, working out and hanging out with friends, who has time to cook? This dish takes approximately thirty minutes to prep and cook, and can be easily manipulated to accomodate more veggies, less meat, etc. The sauce can also be prepared ahead of time in a CrockPot. Bell peppers are an excellent source of vitamin C, which can help strengthen immune systems, a plus in this season’s cold-infested environment.
What you’ll need:
1 lb. lean ground beef or ground turkey
1/2 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/4 cup olive oil
1 small can of tomato paste
1 can diced Italian-style tomatoes
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon Italian
seasonings
3 cups rigatoni pasta
Mozzarella or Parmesan cheese (optional)
What to do:
1. In a skillet, heat the olive oil and saute onions and garlic until medium-brown.
2. Add the ground beef and lightly brown.
3. Slowly add tomatoes and tomato paste. Add red pepper flakes, pepper and Italian seasoning.
4. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes.
5. While the sauce is cooking, bring water to a boil and cook pasta noodles to al dente.
6. To serve, pour sauce over noodles on a plate and top with mozzarella cheese.
Make it gluten-free: use rice or corn pasta (it doesn’t have to be in the rigatoni shape).
Make it vegetarian: use Morningstar or Boca ground beef.
