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This three-cheese penne pasta recipe gets extra substance and flavour from pasture raised ground turkey. |
When I was little we used to head away on a ski vacation to Maine for March Break. One year mom decided to stay put so it was just dad and the kids, which meant we were on our own for meals. I remember heading off to the grocery store en masse to buy groceries for the week and we happened upon something called Hamburger Helper. It seemed like a gift from heave at the time. We all loved mom’s hamburger soup and chow mein, and judging from the pictures on the packages this seemed to offer something similar, so we stocked up for the week and off we went.
One night of Hamburger Helper was more than enough.
Pasta Rustica with chicken sausage and three cheeses
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2 Tbs. olive oil
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1 yellow onion, chopped
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2 garlic cloves, minced
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3/4 lb. chicken or turkey sausage, casings removed (or ground turkey)
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1 tsp. dried basil
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1 tsp. dried oregano
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1/4 tsp. hot red pepper flakes
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1 jar of strained tomatoes or a can (28 oz.) tomatoes in puree, tomatoes coarsely chopped and puree reserved
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Salt, to taste
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1 lb. penne pasta
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1 1/4 cups ricotta cheese
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2 cups shredded mozzarella or cheddar cheese
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1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Green Tips:
- Chose pasture-raised turkey or naturally raised chicken, if you can get it. That way you can avoid excessive antibiotics and your meat will be more flavourful.
- I use jars of strained tomatoes in this recipe since we try to limit our consumption of canned foods. That nasty BPA chemical in the can lining is best avoided, especially with acidic foods like tomatoes.
- Go for non-GMO pasta, if you can get it.