SKINNY PASTA BAKE WITH GROUND TURKEY

Skinny Pasta Bake with Ground Turkey image

Very easy, flavorful, skinny pasta bake with sauce. Top with additional Parmesan cheese, if desired.

Provided by rachelelizabeth

Categories Meat and Poultry Recipes Turkey Ground Turkey Recipes

Yield 8

Number Of Ingredients 18

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Ingredients

olive oil
1 pound lean ground turkey
3 cloves garlic, chopped, divided
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 (8 ounce) package sliced cremini mushrooms
12 ounces spaghetti sauce, or more to taste
1 (8 ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 vine-ripened tomato, coarsely chopped
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
¼ cup half-and-half
1 ¼ cups low-fat (1%) cottage cheese, divided
⅛ teaspoon dried minced onion, or to taste
1 pinch dried oregano, or to taste
1 pinch dried basil, or to taste
1 pinch garlic powder, or to taste
1 pound rigatoni pasta
½ tablespoon dried basil, or more to taste
¼ cup shredded mozzarella cheese, or to taste

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir ground turkey in the hot skillet until starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes; add 2 cloves of chopped garlic, salt, and pepper. Continue to cook, adding mushrooms and remaining garlic, until turkey is fully browned and crumbly and mushrooms are softened, about 5 minutes more.
Stir spaghetti sauce, stewed tomatoes, and fresh tomato into the pan. Add Parmesan cheese, half-and-half, and 1/2 of the cottage cheese; stir until incorporated. Season with onion, oregano, basil, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and let simmer to allow flavors to meld.
While the sauce simmers, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain.
Pour cooked pasta into a large bowl and stir in remaining cottage cheese, making sure it is evenly dispersed. Add 1/2 tablespoon basil and mix thoroughly.
Pour 1/2 of the sauce mixture into the bottom of a large casserole or baking dish. Pour pasta over and top with remaining sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
Bake in the preheated oven, covered, until golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts : Calories 429.1 calories, Carbohydrate 53.6 g, Cholesterol 53.7 mg, Fat 11.4 g, Fiber 4.3 g, Protein 28.9 g, SaturatedFat 3.7 g, Sodium 561.3 mg, Sugar 8.7 g