Baked Penne Pasta

This recipe is from Matt’s blog (The Kitchen of a Runner).  This is a PERFECT dish for an Athlete—especially right before a big race.  Unfortunately, our camera was dieing so we did not get the best photo. This photo does not do this meal justice at all. We LOVED this dish…you must make it!

Ingredients

• 1 pound dried penne rigate pasta
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 (25-ounce) jar marinara pasta sauce (we used our homemade pasta sauce)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (I used part-skim)
• 1 pound ground turkey breast
• 1/2 an onion, diced
• Olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Satue the garlic, onion, and ground turkey until almost cooked through. It will finish cooking in the oven.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cook penne according to directions on package, then drain and set aside to let cool for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine ground turkey mixture, ricotta cheese, basil, 1 1/2 cups of the pasta sauce, and salt and pepper in a large bowl.

Transfer pasta to bowl with cheese mixture and toss gently to coat. Spread 1/2 cup of the remaining pasta sauce over the bottom of a 7-x11-inch baking dish. Spoon pasta mixture into dish and spread out evenly. Drizzle remaining sauce over the top, sprinkle with mozarella and bake until golden brown and hot throughout, about 30 minutes.