Cafeteria-Style Leaner Baked Spaghetti
6 ounces dry spaghetti (slightly less than half a package)
1 pound 95-percent lean ground beef
1 cup chopped onions
1¼ cups ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon prepared yellow mustard
½ teaspoon chili powder (or to taste)
¼ teaspoon pepper
¾ cup shredded reduced-fat, extra-sharp cheddar cheese, divided
¾ cup lower sodium, fat free beef broth
½ cup shredded part skim milk mozzarella cheese
Place the oven rack in the lower middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly spray the interior of a 9-by-12-inch baking dish with vegetable oil.
Fill a 6-quart saucepan or pot two-thirds full of cold water and place over high heat. When the water boils, add 2 teaspoons salt and the spaghetti. When the water returns to a boil, reduce heat slightly to keep from boiling over and cook, stirring frequently, checking for doneness 2 or 3 minutes before the time stated in package directions. Drain (do not rinse) and set aside.
While spaghetti cooks: Place a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat; when hot add the ground beef and onions and cook, breaking up the beef with the edge of a plastic spoon or spatula until the ground beef loses its pink color. Drain any fat. Return skillet to stovetop; reduce heat to medium and stir in ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, chili powder, pepper and ¼ cup cheddar cheese. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally and then fold spaghetti and beef stock into meat mixture.
Transfer spaghetti mixture to prepared pan, distributing evenly. Top with remaining cheddar and mozzarella and bake 20-30 minutes until cheese begins to brown.
Serves four.
Nutrition values per serving: 510 calories (23 percent from fat), 13.3 g fat (6.4 g saturated), 58 g carbohydrates, 2.6 g fiber, 39 g protein, 77 mg cholesterol, 1,494 mg sodium.
SaltSense: Believe it or not, K&W’s recipe called for the addition of ¾ teaspoon of salt, bringing sodium to 1,930 mg per serving: a whole days worth. Omitted, the sodium’s still high, thanks to the ketchup. Substituting no-salt-added ketchup brings the sodium per serving down to 618 mg.