The holidays are behind us and we're back into our routines of work, families and trying to get dinners on the table. (Hopefully that's not as depressing as it sounds. I will not go into the aspects of paying off Christmas bills, New Year's weight-loss resolutions and the like.)

Here to help make dinner a little easier and a lot exciting is "One Teaspoon" and its month of quick, delicious and budget-friendly meals. These three things describe one entree: pasta. Sure a jar of spaghetti sauce and a bag of noodles qualifies, but without too much more effort, you can have a nice meal.

First up is baked ziti. Double the batch and freeze some for later, or make this the night before and just pop it in the oven come dinner time. I used ground turkey, but I'm sure this would be good (and even more budget-friendly) without meat. I don't like jar marinara, but do what you have to do. As a bonus, here's a recipe for creamy Italian dressing, too, to top a nice green salad. Yum.

Ingredients:
1 lb. dry ziti pasta
1/2 onion, chopped
1 lb. lean ground turkey
2, 26-ounce jars spaghetti sauce or homemade marinara
6 ounces provolone cheese, sliced
1 C. sour cream
1 C. mozzarella cheese, shredded
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, shredded
Directions:
Cook ziti pasta according to package directions (al dente). In a large skillet, brown onion and ground turkey in a little olive oil over medium heat. Add spaghetti sauce and simmer.
Meanwhile, spray a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Layer half the ziti, Provolone cheese and sour cream and some sauce. Add remaining ziti, mozarella and remaining sauce. Top with Parmesan cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, or until cheeses are melted, at 350 degrees.

Creamy Italian salad dressing
Ingredients:
3/4 C. light mayo
1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. water
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
Directions:
Combine ingredients, stir until mixed well. Chill before serving.