Try this Kale Turkey Pasta Bake recipe, or contribute your own.
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 large onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 lbs ground turkey extra lean
- 4 large garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp olive oil extra virgin
- 3 cups (9 oz) whole wheat penne/fusilli pasta dry (use certified gf for gf version)
- 28 oz tomato sauce (i used organic kirkland)
- 2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
- 1 cup pasta water
- 1 tbsp italian herb seasoning (oregano or basil) dried
- 4 - 5 cups kale (1 bunch) stem removed & chopped
- 2 cups (5 oz) low fat mozzarella cheese shredded & divided
- 1/3 cup italian parsley chopped (for garnish)
- Carbohydrate 29.9769542194171 g
- Cholesterol 589.670081 mg
- Fat 30.7381631309781 g
- Fiber 1.55916086535438 g
- Protein 199.224036106021 g
- Saturated Fat 9.29864859328657 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1768g)
- Sodium 650.570223586539 mg
- Sugar 28.4177933540627 g
- Trans Fat 4.45580357640402 g
- Calories 1236 calories
Step-by-step
- Cook pasta al dente as per package instructions, undercooking by 4 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water and set aside.
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
- Preheat large skillet on medium heat and add olive oil.
- Add onion and garlic, saute for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add turkey and cook for another 7 minutes, breaking meat into pieces and stirring occasionally.
- Add tomato sauce, honey, pasta water, herb seasoning, salt, pepper, kale and stir.
- Add previously cooked pasta and stir again.
- Transfer half of the mixture in 9" x 13" baking dish and sprinkle with 3/4 cup cheese.
- Top with remaining mixture and sprinkle with remaining 1 + 1/4 cups cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes.
- Remove foil and broil until cheese is golden brown.
- Serve hot garnished with parsley if desired.
Budget limitations often restrict meat-heavy dishes, but stretching two pounds of lean ground turkey across a large crowd is entirely manageable when it is bulked out with hearty greens and whole grain pasta. This preparation requires a deep 9 by 13-inch baking dish to contain the volume, though two smaller square pans work equally well if storage space in the oven is tight. Standard ceramic or glass casseroles retain heat efficiently, ensuring the mozzarella melts evenly without scorching the edges during the final broiling phase.
Scaling this dish requires careful attention to the pasta cooking time. Undercooking the dry penne or fusilli by precisely four minutes prevents the noodles from becoming mushy as they absorb moisture from the tomato sauce in the oven. Retaining one cup of starchy pasta water before draining provides the necessary emulsion liquid to bind the meat, sauce, and chopped kale together into a cohesive sauce rather than a dry bake.
Adjusting the proportions up or down depends entirely on the available ovenware. Halving the quantities fits neatly into an 8 by 8-inch pan while maintaining the exact baking temperature of 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Covering the dish with aluminum foil for the initial 25 minutes traps steam to tenderize the fibrous kale leaves before the final uncovered browning step creates a bubbly cheese crust.
