Baked Penne Pasta with Ground Turkey {Recipe}

The following post is sponsored by Foster Farms Organic Ground Turkey. All opinions are 100% my own.

January is usually the time of year when people look to make healthy food choices. One of the healthy food swaps that I’ve incorporated with my family is to switch from using ground beef to ground turkey. It is a healthy alternative to ground beef & an easy substitute to any meal. So occasionally on “Taco Tuesday” I will substitute ground turkey for ground beef. I’ve even started using it in pasta dishes that call for ground beef!

So why should you make the switch? Ground turkey is healthy, nutritious & a lean source of protein. There are several ground turkey brands out there but did you know that Foster Farms introduced organic ground turkey in 2015? Foster Farms Organic Ground Turkey is 93% lean & is USDA-certified organic, antibiotic free, raised free-range on organic land & is fed an organic vegetarian diet.

Take a look at this infographic that shows the benefits of swapping out ground beef for ground turkey in several entrees. It just might convince you to make the switch!

So back to that pasta I was talking about earlier. Here is an easy recipe for pasta with ground turkey!

Baked Penne Pasta with Ground Turkey

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients
8 ounces uncooked penne pasta
Olive oil
1 pound ground turkey
1 large onion, chopped
1 jar of marinara sauce (24 ounces)
8 ounces of grated mozzarella cheese
1 container of ricotta cheese (15 ounces)

Directions

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees.
• Cook the penne pasta according to package directions al dente style (tender but still firm). Drain the pasta in a colander. Toss the pasta with a few drops of olive oil so that the pasta does not stick together.
• Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan on medium-high heat. Add the ground turkey & make sure to break up any large chunks as it cooks. When the ground turkey is mostly brown, add in the onions.

• Pour half of the marinara sauce into the bottom of an ovenproof 9×13-inch casserole pan that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Then dot the surface with half the ricotta cheese. Place half of the cooked penne pasta into the pan. Layer half of the ground turkey on top. Sprinkle half of the mozzarella cheese on top.

• Add the rest of the pasta, layer another helping of ricotta cheese over the pasta & then add the remainder of the ground turkey on top.
• Pour the rest of the marinara sauce over everything. Then add the rest of the mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. The cheese should be melted on top.

Enjoy!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, which means that I was provided compensation and/or product in exchange for this post. All images are my own unless otherwise noted. As always, my opinions are 100% my own.