Spaghetti (Regular or Baked)

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I am a big fan or Italian cuisine and I was not willing to give it up when I decided change my eating habits. My homemade Spaghetti use to consist of white pasta, hamburger, a little onion, and sauce. I was very happy with that for many years. Unfortunately I did not realize how much better this dish could be for not only my body, but my palate as well.

Ingredients

• Whole Grain Wheat Spaghetti Pasta
• A little Olive Oil
• Your favorite Spaghetti Sauce
• Fresh Veggies (Not canned)
• Mushrooms
• Sweet Onion
• A combination of Green, Red, Yellow, and/or Orange Bell Peppers
• Romaine Tomatoes
• A little Vegan Butter
• Optional: Vegan Mozzarella Cheese

 
Prep Work

• Wash, dry, and cut fresh veggies into desired shapes and sizes

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees if making the baked version
• Place sauce in pan, add all the veggies (except the mushrooms), and heat on low setting
• Melt a little vegan butter in a skillet on high heat, and then add a layer of mushrooms. Sauté. As each batch is finished add them to the sauce.
• Keep in mind this does not take long. Do not overcook. Just lightly brown on each side. They should maintain their size. If they are dark brown and small you cooked them too long.
•  In another sauce pan bring some water to a boil. Once it begins boiling add a little olive oil, and then the pasta.
• Note the shortest cooking time in the pasta's cooking directions and shorten that by 2-3 minutes.
• Once cooked, drain (Do not rinse).
• Combine the pasta and the sauce creation, mix well, and serve (if not making Baked Spaghetti).

Baked Spaghetti

• Place Spaghetti mixture from above in casserole dish (I suggest spraying this dish with canola spray first for easy clean-up)
• Add a layer of vegan mozzarella to the top (Or you may like to do this in layers (e.g., a little spaghetti mixture, a little cheese, a little spaghetti mixture, and so on ending with cheese on top.)
• Bake uncovered at 350 degree for 30 minutes, or until cheese has melted.

 Additional notes:

• Veggies can vary 
• Do not be afraid to pile on the veggies. They will make the dish more hearty and filling. 
• Do not use olive oil in place of vegan butter to sauté mushrooms. Olive oil will produce a lot smoke when heated to high temperatures.
• Cooking pasta
• I prefer using Olive Oil to salt when cooking pasta. Olive Oil is a healthy fat after all.
• I cook the pasta for fewer minutes then suggested because the oil will make the pasta less firm then when using salt. It is also very important not to over cook the pasta. It should be a little firm when served. Overcooking will alter the pasta from being a complex carbohydrate to a simple carbohydrate. This may result in an increase in one's blood sugar.
• When mixing the pasta and sauce be sure the mixture is a little saucy. We have all probably had a serving of dry spaghetti. Yeck! You can always add more pasta if need be should you have any leftovers. 
• I leave the uncovered casserole on a lower shelf of the oven as I broil my garlic bread slices. It melts the cheese a little more and keeps the dish nice and hot, because everything come out of the oven at the same time.