Cheeziti

The Ingredients (for 8 to 10 servings):

• 4 shallots, weighing approximately 200 g (or 7 oz)
• 6 to 8 cloves of garlic, weighing approximately 30 g (or 1 oz)
• 0.75 kg (or 1¼ lb) of lean ground turkey meat
• 30 ml (or 2 Tbsp) of Worcestershire sauce
  
• 15 ml (or 1 Tbsp) of dark soy sauce
• One 425-g (or 15-oz) can of thick tomato sauce; preferably Muir Glen Pizza Sauce
• 80 ml (or ⅓ cup) of pesto; preferably home-made to your taste
• optional 450 g (or 1 lb) of prepared meatballs (I used Hawaiian-made Portuguese sausage, casing removed)
• 350 g (or ¾ lb) of lentil flour ziti
• 2 eggs
• 300 g (or 11 oz) of chèvre
• 4 g (or ½ teaspoon) of salt
• 1.5 g (or ½ teaspoon) of  freshly ground black pepper
• 160 g or 5 oz of hard cheese such as Romano (I used Manchego)

The Method:

1. Chop the shallots and garlic finely and sauté them together in olive oil over medium-high heat until they are translucent and no longer smell raw.
2.  Add the ground turkey and continue to sauté until the meat has lost its pinkness.
3. Add the Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce and mix them throughout the meat mixture.
4. Add the tomato sauce and simmer the mixture until most of the liquid has evaporated.
5. Off-heat, add the pesto and, optionally, meatballs or sausage to the tomato sauce, and set aside.
6. Turn on the oven and set it to 190°C (or 375°F).
   
7. In a large mixing bowl, break the eggs and whisk them to break the yolks.
8. Add the salt and pepper and whisk again until the eggs begin to froth slightly.
9. Add the chèvre and mix it into the eggs, breaking it up with a fork if necessary into smallish lumps.
10. Cook the ziti in boiling water for 4 minutes, then immediately rinse them under cold water until they lose their heat.
11. Strain excess water off the ziti and mix them into the egg mixture so that each piece is coated.
12. Lightly brush or spray with oil the inside of a casserole dish.
13. Place half of the tomato sauce mixture in the bottom of the casserole.
14. Place all of the ziti mixture on top of the tomato sauce.
15. Spread the remaining tomato sauce mixture on top of the ziti.
16. Grate the hard cheese and sprinkle it on top of the tomato sauce.
17. Bake the ziti casserole in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the cheese melts and the sauce begins to bubble around the edges.
    

The Story:

We are always trying to find low-carb versions of, or alternatives to pasta. Imagine our curiosity recently when we discovered a new product on the shelves of our local Costco—ziti made from green lentil flour. We bought some immediately and a label comparison showed that the ziti have about 20% less carbohydrate and 33% more protein than our favorite Dreamfields brand whole wheat spaghetti, and about the same amount of fiber. This is the latest dish I made with the ziti, based loosely on a recipe by Ree Drummond on FoodNetwork.com. We find the lentil flour pasta more satisfying—more filling, I suppose—than the equivalent amount of the spaghetti, meaning we take smaller portions. All of this is good, and I am already thinking of variations for the recipe above, as well as other uses for this and hopefully other products made by Tolerant.