Turkey pasta bake
- Preparation and cooking time
- Prep:
- Cook:
- Easy
- Serves 6
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 tsp tomato purée
- 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
- 400g leftover roast turkey or chicken, shredded
- 400g dried pasta (we used penne)
- 6 leftover pigs in blankets
- 125g ball of mozzarella or 100g grated mozzarella
- 25g parmesan or strong cheddar, grated
Method
- STEP 1
Heat the oil in a pan over a low-medium heat and fry the onion for 8-10 mins until softened and starting to caramelise. Stir in the garlic and tomato purée, and cook for 1-2 mins more. Tip in the chopped tomatoes, vinegar, oregano, chilli and 2 tsp sugar, then season well and bring to a simmer. Swill out the tomato cans with a splash of water and stir this into the sauce, then partially cover the pan with a lid and cook for 15-20 mins until the tomatoes have reduced to a rich sauce. Crush any large pieces of tomato with a vegetable masher, if you like. Stir through the turkey or chicken and any other cooked meat you want to use up.
- STEP 2
Meanwhile, boil the kettle. Pour the hot water into a large saucepan, season with salt and bring back to the boil. Cook the pasta for a minute less than pack instructions or until al dente. Drain, reserving a mugful of the pasta cooking water.
- STEP 3
Tip the pasta into the sauce and stir to combine, adding some of the reserved water to loosen, if needed. Transfer to a baking dish, then tuck in the pigs in blankets or put on top. Scatter over the cheeses. Once cool, will keep covered and chilled for a day, or frozen for a month. Defrost in the fridge overnight before cooking.
- STEP 4
If cooking imnmediately after prep, heat the grill to high and cook for 8-10 mins until the cheese is bubbling and golden. If cooking from chilled or defrosted, heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and cook for 25-30 mins until piping hot and the cheese has melted.
