This Baked Pasta recipe utilizes whole wheat pasta, ground turkey and plenty of cheese. Watch the short video down a ways in the post showing you how to make this recipe, then scroll all the way to the bottom of this post and print out a clean copy of the recipe so you can make it at home.
There’s an old saying in our house… “If there is nothing for dinner, then pasta is what’s for dinner.” Seriously, sometimes I get caught at 5 o’clock without any plans to feed my family a good dinner, and pasta is an acceptable fallback. I try to keep things like ground beef, turkey and sausage in the freezer, jars of marinara and different varieties of pasta in the pantry, some veggies in the crisper, and plenty of cheese in the much-loved cheese drawer. If I have these basics available, whipping up a quick pasta meal is not a problem.
This simple recipe was created by checking out my refrigerator to see what was available so I didn’t have to get in my car and drive to the store! I spotted some ground turkey in the freezer (score!), and I decided to try using shredded Monterey Jack since I didn’t have any mozzarella cheese.
What’s the best kind of pasta?
A friend of mine recommended that I try her favorite brand of whole wheat pasta: Delallo. I hadn’t tried it before (my boys usually say they don’t care much for whole wheat pasta) so I picked up their whole wheat shells at my local market and decided to give them a shot. Delallo carries a lot of varieties of pasta, but I chose the shells since it’s nice for the meat and melted cheese to be able to sneak inside the shell cavities while baking.
What’s a good dish for baking pasta?
You don’t need anything fancy for making a baked pasta dish. If you have one of those 9×13-inch pans (a deeper one works best), then that should work just fine. Homegoods and Target carry good, inexpensive options for prettier casserole dishes. I’m always picking those kinds of things up when I see a good deal!
It turns out the whole wheat shells work perfectly in this recipe- combined with sautéed onions, ground turkey, marinara and a very flavorful Monterey Jack cheese. I asked my boys if they liked the pasta, and they actually said that they LOVED the pasta. Then I broke the news that it was whole wheat. They enthusiastically agreed that I can make Delallo whole wheat pasta for them any time.
I’m so happy I found this brand. Oh yeah, and this isn’t a sponsored post or anything, I’m just sharing a brand that you might like to try too. I recently found that Delallo makes a pretty decent gluten-free pasta too.
The Best Pasta Recipes:
- Chicken Pasta Primavera
- Sundried Tomato Pasta
- Creamy Gruyere and Shrimp Pasta
- BLT Pasta
- Tomato- Beef Pasta
- Greek Chicken Pasta Toss
- Italian Sausage Pasta
- Skillet Pasta Carbonara
- Cheesy Beef and Pasta Casserole
Baked Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 large garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 12 ounces ground turkey (90% lean)
- 4 cups cooked whole wheat pasta shells (see Recipe Notes below)
- 2½ cups marinara sauce (bottled or homemade)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1½ cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉. Spray a 3-quart casserole dish with nonstick spray.
- In a large pan, heat the oil over medium-heat and add onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. Saute until onions have softened, about 4 minutes. Crumble in the ground turkey and cook until the turkey is browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the pasta, marinara sauce, parsley and 1 cup of the cheese. Spoon the pasta mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining ½cup of cheese on top and the Parmesan cheese too.
- Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly, about 20 minutes.
Notes
- I'm not always such a fan of whole wheat pasta, but I really like the Delallo Foods brand- we used their whole wheat shells for this recipe. Delallo is in select stores, but you can always find it at Whole Foods Market.
- 4 cups of cooked pasta equates to about 2 cups dried.
- Use a good cheese for this recipe- I used a very flavorful Monterey Jack. Sometimes Jack can be quite mild. You can also use Swiss, Provolone or Mozzarella (or a blend!)
Love it girl! Love that it’s quick and easy! And looks yummy!
This is really similar to a pasta bake my best friend and I have been making for the past 12 years (or at least until we were allowed near the stove without parental supervision)! Super delicious and easy! A few updates I do in order to get my husband to eat more veggies:
– add 1-1.5 cups diced mushrooms: saute it with the garlic and onions
– add squash/zucchini (as desired) and saute it with garlic and onions till softened
– toss in some spinach towards the end for a quick wilt before baking
Additionally, for a slightly creamier taste, add 3-4 tablespoons of heavy cream to the sauce before you add the pasta.
I always try to have a box of pasta on hand for easy dinners. This baked pasta looks fabulous! I will try it this week and see how my family likes it. I love WW past and I will be on the look out for Delallo!
So glad that you and your family enjoyed our pasta! 🙂 Recipe looks delicious!
Yep, I could eat this every day. Looks amazing!!
This is such a great go-to dinner idea since I almost always have these ingredients on hand! My boys would gobble this up!
What a great recipe Lori! I always have pasta on hand for those last minute moments. I’ll need to check this one out sometime 😉
Perfect, comforting dish! Love the whole-wheat version.
The only way I can get my family to eat whole wheat pasta is with the Delallo WW pasta. It is the only brand that does not taste like cardboard and we love it! This pasta bake is perfect for any night. It’s quick and easy, but still cheesy and so comforting! Like you worked all day on it, but actually did not. I love those kinds of meals!
Love this pasta – such a great and hearty meal!