Baked Penne with Kale and Zucchini

A cheesy pasta casserole, with additions like kale to make it extra good! I changed up one of my mother's old recipes to add more veggies and flavor!

• Preparation Time: 30 mins
• Cooking Time: 60 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 30 mins
• Calories: 455 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup shredded Cheddar cheese
• ½ cup chopped onion
• ⅓ cup grated Parmesan cheese
• salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 (8 ounce) package penne pasta
• 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 2 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
• 2 small zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 bunch kale, chopped into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 cup prepared pasta sauce

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain.

Step 2

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking dish.

Step 3

Heat oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Saute onion and garlic in the hot oil for 4 minutes. Add ground turkey and cook and stir until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add kale and zucchini and saute mixture for about 10 minutes. Pour in juice from canned tomatoes and pasta sauce. Stir in Italian seasoning. Cover and simmer over low heat until kale is wilted and zucchini is transparent, about 5 minutes more.

Step 4

Stir diced tomatoes into the pan. Pour mixture into the cooked pasta and and stir well. Pour 1/2 of the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese on top and cover with remaining pasta mixture. Sprinkle on remaining mozzarella cheese, Cheddar cheese, and Parmesan cheese.

Step 5

Bake in the preheated oven until cheese is bubbly, about 20 minutes.