Turkey Bake with Whole Wheat Pasta

Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Servings: 8
Yield: 8 servings

Description

This delicious ground turkey pasta bake uses whole wheat penne, ground turkey, and low-fat cheeses to help fill each bite with incredible flavor.

Ingredients

1 (16 ounce) container low-fat ricotta cheese
1 (8 ounce) package shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
2 cloves garlic, minced, or more to taste
salt and ground black pepper to taste
1 (1 pound) package whole-wheat penne pasta
1 pound ground turkey
1 (13 1/2 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

Directions

1 Preheat an oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2 Stir ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl; set aside on counter to allow to come to room temperature.
3 Bring a pot of water to a boil; cook penne in boiling water until cooked through yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
4 While pasta cooks, place a skillet over medium heat. Crumble turkey into the skillet; cook and stir until turkey is completely browned. Drain and add to pasta.
5 Spread 2 tablespoons of spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish; stir the rest of the spaghetti sauce into pasta and turkey mixture. Spoon about half of the pasta mixture into the baking dish; top with cheese mixture and spread into an even layer. Spread remaining pasta mixture over cheese layer. Cover with aluminum foil if desired.
6 Bake in the preheated oven until slightly brown on top, about 30 minutes.