It's Crockpot Tuesday...Beef & Spinach Pasta 8 points

Okay so life is about to get really crazy for me.  Today I started school again (accounting major) and I told my husband I have dubbed Tuesday to be crockpot day for a while.  You see I now get off work at 4:00 (I leave work in the middle of the day to go to class and then go back to work) and by the time I get all the 3 from school/after school care and get home it's almost 5:00 and my son has to be at boy scouts by 7:00 so dinner has to be done by 6:00 at the latest (don't forget about homework and what not).  So to make my life easier I am going to be using my crockpot at least once a week now...So here is what we did today...



Beef & Spinach Noodle Bake (in the crockpot)
Serves 9

1 1/2 lbs lean ground beef (I used 7%)
1 diced up onion
1 clove of garlic (I used a lot more since we like garlic)
1 15oz can of tomato sauce (next time I will use 2 cans)
1 can petite diced tomatoes (you can use regular diced, I like petite)
1 tbsp italian seasoning
S&P
10 oz frozen spinach, defrosted
16 oz shape pasta of choice (I used the Trader Joe's High Fiber penne I had in the pantry)
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese
1 1/2 cup 2% shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:
In the morning cook your ground beef with your onions and garlic.  Put the mixture in your crockpot (don't forget your Reynolds Slow Cooker Liner they are a lifesaver and my friend and save me lots of scrubbing, no this is not a paid advertisement LOL) with your tomato sauce, diced tomatoes and seasonings.  Cook on low for 6 hours (I use my x-mas light timer for my crockpot as I am usually gone for more than 6 hours and I don't want to overcook).

45 minutes prior to dinner cook your pasta (or if you are me cook it in the morning, drain and keep it in the pot until you are ready to add it and then just re-run it under water to separate). 

30 minutes prior to dinner being done add in your drained spinach (remember to squeeze it dry really well, a old rag does wonders with this step) pasta and cheese.  Cook for 30 minutes more and serve hot.

VERDICT: Now i have never done this in the slow cooker, it is a basic throw together I have done in the oven but I like it this way...next time I will change a few things...1) I will add another can of tomato sauce as it was a little bit dry with all that pasta and adding a can of sauce bumps it only up from 7.4 to 7.7 and 2) I will maybe decrease the pasta to 12oz or so...these were really big servings but my family is not complaining.

Calories: 372
Fat: 10
Fiber: 6
Weight Watchers Momentum Points: 7.5 (or 8 if you round)