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Turkey Bake with Whole Wheat Pasta

Turkey Bake with Whole Wheat Pasta

Name: Turkey Bake with Whole Wheat Pasta
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 8 servings
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 (13.5 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

Rating: 4.14 stars

99 Ratings
68 Reviews
10 Photos

My husband and I LOVE pasta, but with our new diet and exercise plan, pasta is not our friend, so here's a way to make it a little easier for us to enjoy our faves!

By Jessica Murfin

Gallery

Recipe Summary

prep:

15 mins

cook:

45 mins

total:

1 hr

Servings:

Yield:

8 servings

Nutrition Info

Ingredients

Original recipe yields 8 servings

The ingredient list now reflects the servings specified

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 (13.5 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce

Directions

Step 1

Preheat an oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).

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Step 2

Stir the ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, garlic, salt, and pepper in a bowl; set aside on counter to allow to come to room temperature.
Step 3

Bring a pot of water to a boil; cook the penne in the boiling water until cooked through yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
Step 4

While the pasta cooks, place a skillet over medium heat. Crumble the turkey into the skillet; cook and stir until the turkey is completely browned. Drain and add to the pasta.
Step 5

Spread 2 tablespoons of the spaghetti sauce into the bottom of a 13x9-inch baking dish; stir the rest of the spaghetti sauce into the pasta and turkey mixture. Spoon about half of the pasta mixture into the baking dish; top with the cheese mixture and spread into an even layer. Spread the remaining pasta mixture over the cheese layer. Cover with aluminum foil if desired.
Step 6

Bake in the preheated oven until slightly brown on top, about 30 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Per Serving:

478 calories; protein 35.5g 71% DV; carbohydrates 49g 16% DV; fat 15.5g 24% DV; cholesterol 78.3mg 26% DV; sodium 498mg 20% DV. Full Nutrition

Reviews (68)

Most helpful positive review

amanda

09/02/2009

Very good quick dish but I did make a lot of changes. I added alot more garlic and next time will throw the garlic in the beef at the end of the saute time to cook it a little. I also added a bit of crushed red pepper flake to the cheese mixture and meat. After the meat was cooked I sauted some veggies too and threw those is. I used onion red and yellow pepper and zuchini. I also used a little more sauce and added some basil and oregano. Very tasty and we will have leftovers for a week! Which I love. Read More

Helpful

(60)

Most helpful critical review

Nikki

08/10/2010

This was pretty bland. I think I would add more sauce if I made it again. It did make alot which is nice if you enjoy leftovers. Read More

Helpful

(8)

99 Ratings

5 star values: 41
4 star values: 40
3 star values: 10
2 star values: 7
1 star values: 1

Reviews: Most Helpful

Most Helpful Most Positive Least Positive Newest

amanda

09/02/2009

Helpful

(60)

Jenn

10/13/2009

Yum yum yummy. My family loved it. All three kids had second helpings which is highly rare. I made a small change because I hate when people completely change a recipie and then rate it. I added some italian herb season to the turkey as I cooked it. Only becuase I'm not a fan of plain ground turkey. Everything else the same and it was so good. The only problem I had is that it did not heat through enough. Next time I will crank the heat up to 350 and cook for 35-40 minutes. Also definitely cover with foil. Ours was a little dry on top. Read More

Helpful

(40)

Jasmine Scott-Cochran

08/17/2009

it was made for kids who loved it Read More

Helpful

(23)

pomplemousse

10/09/2009

Very good! I added some more flavor by adding garlic crushed red pepper oregano basil and rosemary to the turkey while cooking and I used an entire jar of sauce even though I halved the recipe. (What can I say? I LOVE tomato sauce!). I didn't have ricotta so I just left it out and I added broccoli to the cheese mixture to up the veggie count. Turned out excellent. Very nice very flavorful. Turkey doesn't always have much of a flavor so I'm always spicing it up. I made this up and refrigerated the night before so instead of the oven on 300 for 30 minutes I upped the temp to 350 and the time to 50 minutes so it would heat through and melt the cheese. I don't think this would have been necessary if I'd made the entire thing the same day. Thanks for the recipe! Read More

Helpful

(18)

Kimberly

04/22/2015

After reading other reviews I made a few changes. I used low fat cottage cheese instead of ricotta and I added oregano and 6 cloves of garlic to the cheese mixture with these changes the flavor wasn't bland as others stated. I also thawed frozen spinach squeezed the moisture out and added it to the cheese mixture too. I found that it needed more sauce so I used a jar and a half and I used whole wheat penne pasta. Read More

Helpful

(14)

astarr80

08/13/2010

Tasty! Only part I changed was that I saved some of the mozzarella cheese for the top. Read More

Helpful

(13)

pionkel

06/28/2010

My husband and I love this recipe. I have made it for several occasions and just dinner at home. It's great! Read More

Helpful

(12)

MsEmilyAnn

11/17/2010

Very good makes a lot for just my husband and I. Eat it for a long time and always yummy! Read More

Helpful

(12)

cwileygo

01/27/2011

This is great. My husband almost ate the entire pan! Read More

Helpful

(12)

Nikki

08/10/2010

This was pretty bland. I think I would add more sauce if I made it again. It did make alot which is nice if you enjoy leftovers. Read More

Helpful

(8)

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Nutritional Information

Turkey Bake with Whole Wheat Pasta

Servings Per Recipe: 8
Calories: 478

% Daily Value *

protein: 71 %

carbohydrates: 16 %

exchange other carbs:

dietary fiber: 21 %

sugars:

fat: 24 %

saturated fat: 35 %

cholesterol: 26 %

vitamin a iu: 12 %

niacin equivalents: 65 %

vitamin b6: 18 %

vitamin c: 2 %

folate: 5 %

calcium: 40 %

iron: 8 %

magnesium: 13 %

potassium: 10 %

sodium: 20 %

thiamin: 7 %

calories from fat:

percent of calories from carbs:

percent of calories from fat:

percent of calories from protein:

percent of calories from sat fat:

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

**Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.

(-)Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.