One Pot Lasagna with Whole Wheat Rotini

This was dinner tonight. I saw this recipe on a cooking show and adapted it a little. It is definitely a "crowd pleaser"- it makes a ton! The sauce is not a heavy tomato-based sauce, so the pasta tastes different than you would expect. When Mundo saw me making it, he said, "Did you make Hamburger Helper?" You can imagine my reaction to that, "Are you crazy?! When, in our 6 years of marriage, have I ever made Hamburger Helper??" The funny thing is, that's really what this recipe is. This is just a healthier version :).

1 box whole-wheat rotini pasta
salt for boiling pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lbs ground white turkey meat or lean ground beef
1 bay leaf
1 tsp dried basil
ground black pepper
1 carrot or about 6 baby carrots finely diced
1 onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried rosemary, crumbled in your hand or chopped
1 c. beef broth
1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes
1 16 oz. container low fat ricotta cheese
1 to 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella (low fat mozzarella would work)

Heat olive oil in a large pot/dutch oven. Brown ground meat in olive oil until cooked through and beginning to caramelize. Add the onions, carrots, bay leaf, rosemary, dried basil, pepper and salt. Sautee until onions and carrots are soft (6-8 minutes). Add garlic and sautee 1 minute. Stir in broth and tomatoes. Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Remove bay leaf. Stir in pasta and ricotta. Top with mozzarella. Bake until the cheese begins to brown on top, about 10- 15 minutes.