Skinny Pasta Bake with Ground Turkey

A flavorful sauce starring turkey, mushrooms, and cheese is layered between rigatoni in this skinny pasta bake.

• Preparation Time: 20 mins
• Cooking Time: 50 mins
• Total Time: 1 hr 10 mins
• Calories: 429 Calories

Ingredients

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

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

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

Step 2

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.

Step 3

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.

Step 4

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.

Step 5

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.

Step 6

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.

Step 7

Bake in the preheated oven, covered, until golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes.