Lasagna Roll-ups

Lasagna is a pretty classic comfort food, but not one that I would normally make for a weeknight dinner.  With just the two of us eating, an entire pan of lasagna is enough food to eat for a week so unless we're expecting company, lasagna is a rare treat.  If you are like me, lasagna roll-ups are the solution.  You can make as many servings as you need and you can do it in less time. 

The process starts out the same, boil the noodles, brown the meat and make a sauce.  Make a ricotta mixture and then you just roll it up.  Depending on how many you are making you can bake them in a loaf pan, an 8x8 pan or whatever you need.  To assemble, you just drain the noodles, spread a little of the ricotta mixture on top, add meat sauce and roll them up.  Top with a little more sauce, some mozzarella cheese and bake.  Voila - lasagna the easy way.

I generally swap whole wheat pasta for regular pasta and use ground turkey instead of ground beef to lighten up the recipe. 

Lasagna Roll-ups

8 lasagna noodles

1/2 pound lean ground turkey

1 T olive oil

1 clove garlic

1/2 onion

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 egg

1/2 cup ricotta cheese

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 T fresh basil, chopped

1 1/2 T fresh oregano, chopped

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Heat a large pot of water to boiling over high heat.  When it reaches a boil, salt liberally and drop noodles.  Stir occasionally and cook to just al dente.  You want to leave them slightly more firm since you'll be baking the pasta.  Drain noodles and set aside.

Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add garlic and onion and saute for 2-3 minutes.  Add turkey and brown.  When almost cooked through, add tomatoes and reduce heat to medium low.  Simmer for about 15 minutes.  Add 1/2 the basil, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes and stir to combine.

In a small bowl, lightly beat egg.  Add ricotta, Parmesan and remaining basil and oregano and stir together.  Spray pan lightly with cooking spray.  Add enough sauce to lightly cover the bottom of the pan.  To assemble, on a drained noodle, add a spoonful of ricotta mixture.  Top with a spoonful of meat sauce and roll up.  Place seam side down in pan.  Continue until you've used all the noodles.  Top each with a little more meat sauce and sprinkle with mozzarella and remaining crushed red pepper flakes.  Bake approximately 20 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. 

Baked Pesto Penne with Ricotta and Sun-dried Tomato

So it seems like it does nothing but rain here... what happened to the sunshine and 80 degree weather? It feels like March not May. Last night, I came home from work and looked around my yard, my plants are growing, there are buds on the hydrangeas and the roses are blooming like crazy, but it still doesn't seem like we are only a week and a half from Memorial Day - summer's official start in my world. I think the dreary weather is making me feel like comfort food, I had a tub of ricotta on hand, so I decided to go ahead and use that and make a baked pasta dish. I didn't want to do a traditional lasagna or ziti so I made up this one as I went. It turned out great. Although really how could it not - pasta + garlic + cheese is almost always a winning combination.

The pesto and sun-dried tomatoes add so much flavor to this. You can make pesto yourself or buy it pre-made in the store, in the same area as the marinara sauce. If you buy it in the store, there is often sun-dried tomato or basil pesto available, for this recipe I used a basil pesto although either would work. If you use the sun-dried tomato pesto, I would leave out the actual tomatoes so it wouldn't be overpowering. Sun-dried tomatoes come packed in oil, I drain the oil off of them on a paper towel before chopping.

Baked Pesto Penne with Ricotta and Sun-dried Tomato

1/2 pound penne
12 oz lean ground turkey
1/2 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
1/2 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups spinach
1 T olive oil
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup pesto sauce
8 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1/3 cup mozzarella cheese, grated
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
1 T oregano, finely chopped
Salt & Pepper

Heat a large pot of water to boiling, add generous pinch of salt and add pasta, cook until just al dente. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, brown ground turkey, add fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, and 1/2 crushed red pepper flakes. Drain and remove to a bowl.

Reduce heat to low, add oil to pan, add onions and garlic and saute for about 3 minutes until softened. Add spinach and sun-dried tomatoes and cook until wilted. In a separate bowl, lightly beat egg, add ricotta and pesto sauce and remaining crushed red pepper flakes, add salt and pepper to taste. Mix well and add to pan with spinach. Return turkey and onions to pan and mix well. Drain pasta, reserving 1/4 cup of water, and add to pan, add water if necessary to thin sauce.

Spray a 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray or grease lightly, add pasta, top with grated cheese and bake about 20 minutes until the cheese is lightly browned and bubbly. Top with oregano and serve.

Ginger Soy Turkey Burgers

I found an Asian sesame ginger salad dressing by Ken's Steakhouse in the grocery store the other day that sounded pretty good - unfortunately it contained high fructose corn syrup and since I'm cutting that out of our diets, I decided to leave it at the store. But it was still in the back of my mind when I decided to make these turkey burgers for dinner. I'm not positive this is the exact same result but it turned out to be really good.

I served these with some sweet potato fries with salt and thyme and steamed edamame sprinkled with a little garlic salt for an easy, healthy meal.

Ginger Soy Turkey Burgers

1 pound lean ground turkey (I use 93/7)
2 T sesame oil
1 T rice wine vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh grated ginger
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
4 whole wheat hamburger buns
1-2 cups baby spinach
4 T feta cheese

Preheat grill on medium low heat. In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, and soy sauce. Add garlic, ginger, and black pepper and stir to combine. Remove about 1/3 of the mixture and set aside. Add ground turkey and bread crumbs and lightly mix with your hands until just incorporated, be careful not to over mix. Form into 4 patties and transfer to grill. Cook about 5-6 minutes and flip, grill an additional 5 minutes until cooked through. Grill buns for last minute of cooking time to warm.

To assemble, either top each burger with spinach and feta and drizzle on remaining sauce or combine spinach, feta and dressing in a bowl and toss to coat. Top each burger with "salad" and serve.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

Here's a recipe for an easy weeknight dinner when you want something a little different than the usual pasta skillet meal or chicken/side dish combo. Stuffed peppers are often made with Italian flavors but I think they work really well with Mexican/southwestern flavors too.

Use a lean ground turkey or turkey breast in place of ground beef, brown instead of white rice, and 2% cheese to make this a healthier meal.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

1/2 pound ground turkey breast
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 cup black beans
1 cup corn
1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 can diced tomatoes with chiles (I use Ro-tel)
1/2 cup brown rice
4 bell peppers (I used green but any color will work)
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1/4 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 lime

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small saucepan, cook rice with water as directed on package (I used Uncle Ben's quick brown rice and it takes 1 cup water per 1/2 cup rice and cooks in about 15 minutes). Meanwhile, brown turkey in a large skillet over medium high heat, crumbling as it cooks. Add 1/2 tsp cumin, cayenne, and half of chili powder. After about 5 minutes, add diced tomatoes and reduce heat to medium low. Add onions, black beans and corn and simmer until rice is cooked.

Meanwhile, prepare peppers by cutting in half through the top, remove stem, seeds and ribs. Rinse and set in a large baking dish. When liquid has cooked off rice, add remaining spices and fluff with a fork. Stir into turkey mixture. Squeeze juice of half of lime over the mixture and add half the cilantro. Spoon filling into pepper halves. Add a couple tablespoons of water to pan, cover the pan with foil and bake for about 20-25 minutes. Uncover, peppers should be softened. Sprinkle on cheese and return to oven for about another 5 minutes until cheese is melted. Top with remaining cilantro and sour cream, if desired.

Caribbean Jerk Turkey Burgers

First I have to apologize because I don't have a "finished product" picture because we had friends over for dinner and I forgot to get a picture once I put these together. However, don't let that stop you from trying them. These burgers are absolutely delicious... and healthy. Although the method seems a little unorthodox, it really does work. I thought the outsides of the burgers would be nice and seasoned and the insides would be dry and boring but that was not the case. This really worked out well. I topped them with a little guacamole and red onion and they were fantastic.

Caribbean Jerk Turkey Burgers
Recipe adapted from Good Things Catered
Makes 4 burgers

1 lb ground turkey breast
4 T soy sauce
4 T red wine vinegar
2 T brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp thyme
3/4 tsp garlic salt
3/4 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground ginger
4 hamburger buns
Guacamole
Red Onion

In a shallow bowl, mix together soy sauce, vinegar and brown sugar. On a plate, mix together all spices. Divide meat into 4 equal portions and form into patties, making them slightly thinner in the middle. Roll patties in spice mixture until coated on all sides. Dip patties into soy sauce mixture and transfer to a plate or rimmed baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap.

Refrigerate about 1 hour. Heat a grill pan or skillet over medium-high heat with a tablespoon of oil. Cook about 5 minutes on first side until browned. Don't try to flip to early or they will have a tendency to stick. Cook on remaining side about 5 minutes more until cooked through. Toast buns under the broiler for a couple minutes until golden brown. Top burgers with a tablespoon of guacamole and a couple slices of red onion.

Baked Eggplant and Turkey Rotini

For a healthier alternative to baked ziti, I made this with ground turkey instead of ground beef or sausage and added some eggplant because vegetables are a lot better for you than pasta. I also used whole wheat pasta instead. Because I thought I had homemade pasta sauce but then realized I only had meat sauce, I used Prego Heart Smart Traditional marinara sauce but you can use any marinara sauce you like.


Baked Eggplant and Turkey Rotini

1/2 pound lean ground turkey
6 oz whole wheat rotini or other short cut pasta
2.5 cups marinara sauce
1 cup onion, diced (I used red but white works just as well)
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 - 1 eggplant, chopped (mine was pretty large so I only used half)
2 T olive oil
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp fennel seed
1/2 tsp salt (plus more for salting pasta water)
1/2 cup cheese, shredded (I used a mix of 1/4 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat a large pot of water over high heat until boiling. Add salt and pasta and stir. Cook until just al dente, do not overcook since you are going to continue baking. Drain pasta and add to a large bowl.

While water boils, heat a skillet over medium high heat. When hot add ground turkey and brown, crumbling with a wooden spatula as it cooks, add 1/2 tsp fennel seed while it cooks. When cooked through, remove from heat and transfer to large bowl and add marinara sauce.

In the same skillet, heat 1 T olive oil and add garlic and onion. Cook about 2 minutes and add green peppers. Add about half of crushed red pepper flakes and Italian seasoning and cook about 2-3 minutes more. Transfer to bowl with ground turkey. Add remaining olive oil to skillet and heat. Add eggplant, salt, and remaining fennel seed and Italian seasoning. Cook about 5 minutes until slightly softened and transfer to bowl. Toss mixture together gently until well combined and transfer to a baking dish (I used an 8x8 square pan but any similar size baking dish will do just make sure its 2-3 inches deep).

Top pasta mixture with cheese and bake for about 15 minutes until cheese begins to melt. At this point, I switch the oven to broil and let the top brown for a few minutes. You can also just continue cooking an additional 5-10 minutes if you prefer. If you do broil it, watch it carefully so you don't burn the tips of the pasta.

Homemade Gnocchi and Classic Meat Sauce

I first had gnocchi at a friend's house in college. Before that I had never even heard of gnocchi but it was so good. My friend's mom made "Nonna's recipe" and it was a big mystery as to what she did to make the light, fluffy potato dumplings. Then a couple years later, I was visiting the same friend and requested that we make it. This time I helped, but we'd had a couple of glasses of wine and everything went fast and somehow I learned that I needed a potato ricer and that it was important to not add too much flour and that was about it. Another year went by and I had gnocchi soup at Olive Garden and bought a couple packages in the store but it I still wanted to learn to make it myself. So I put a potato ricer on my Christmas list and decided to try. After searching several recipes online, I mixed a couple together and it turned out really well for a first attempt. While gnocchi can be made without a potato ricer, the tool gives it a much lighter, fluffier texture.

Gnocchi

2 lbs russet potatoes
2 egg yolks
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 - 2 cups flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, pierce potatoes several times with a fork, and bake for about 1 hour until fork tender. Cut the potatoes in half and cool about 5 minutes. Scoop filling out skins and process through a potato ricer over a large bowl.


Beat egg yolks and make a well in the center of potatoes. Add egg yolks and salt and about 1 cup of flour. Gently mix together with your hands until well combined. Lightly flour a large board or counter area and turn dough out. Work in another 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour as necessary until the dough holds together. It will still be slightly sticky. Divide the dough into baseball-sized balls and roll into long snakes, about 1/2" - 3/4" in diameter.

Using a sharp knife, cut into 1" sections. Continue to add flour as necessary to keep dough from sticking. Roll each section along the back of a fork, forming the lines on the gnocchi.

Transfer to a wax paper lined baking sheet and refrigerate for at least 1 hour before cooking. If you aren't going to cook them within 24 hours, freeze the gnocchi flat on baking sheet, and once frozen transfer to a freezer bag and store.

To cook, heat a large pot of water to a gently boil. Add salt and gently drop in a small amount of gnocchi, if cooking the full recipe at once, do it in 4 batches so you don't crowd the pan. Gnocchi are done when they float to the top, about 3 minutes. Scoop out floating gnocchi with a slotted spoon, draining slightly and toss with sauce.


Classic Meat Sauce

3 cans diced low sodium tomatoes
1 small can of tomato paste
1 lb lean ground turkey or beef
1 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T chopped, fresh basil
1 T chopped, fresh oregano
1 T dried, Italian seasoning
1-2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large dutch oven or heavy bottom pan, add olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Add onions and cook about 3 minutes. Use a wooden spatula to make a space in the middle of the pan and add meat, breaking it up slightly. Cook about 5 minutes breaking it up as it browns. Add garlic, cook about 3 more minutes until meat is browned. Add tomatoes and Italian seasoning and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook about 30 minutes until tomatoes have broken down, add tomato paste and continue simmering an additional 30 minutes. Add basil, oregano, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes to taste.


This makes a lot of pasta sauce, I used about 1/2 for the gnocchi recipe above and froze the other half in gallon size freezer bags.

Zinfandel Marinara Pasta with Italian Sausage

Completely delicious... if you don't already cook with wine, try it now. This is a really easy recipe but it tastes like you worked really hard. The wine adds so much flavor.

Zinfandel Marinara Pasta with Italian Sausage

1/2 pound Italian sausage (I used turkey)

1 T olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 red pepper, diced

1/4 red onion, diced

1 cup chopped baby spinach

1/4 cup zinfandel or other red wine

3/4 cup traditional marinara sauce (I use Prego Traditional HeartSmart)

2 cups rotini or other short cut pasta (I use Healthy Harvest Whole Wheat)

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt

Heat water for pasta to boiling, add salt and pasta and cook until al dente. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add Italian Sausage and brown. When cooked through remove from pan. Add olive oil, garlic, onions, and red pepper. Cook until softened and add wine. Simmer until reduced by about half and add marinara. Return sausage to pan. Drain pasta and add to sauce, stir well to thoroughly coat the pasta. Add cheese and herbs and stir.

Southwest Spicy Chili

When the weather starts to get chilly and football games become our regular Saturday entertainment, I always want chili. The hot, spicy soup is the perfect thing for a lazy Saturday or Sunday. Throw everything in the crockpot and let it cook. The longer it sits, the better it gets. (The hotter it gets too - so be careful when you're adding the spices up front!)

Southwest Spicy Chili

(Serves a whole bunch of hungry people)

3-4 cans diced tomatos

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 white onion, diced

2 cans black beans, rinsed and drained

1 cup frozen corn

1 small can tomato paste

2 lbs. ground turkey

2 jalepenos, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small can chipotles in adobo

2 small cans green chilis

1-2 T chili powder

1-2 T ground cumin

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Cayenne pepper to taste

4 green onions, diced

1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated

Brown ground turkey over medium high heat with garlic. Add 1 T chili powder and 1T cumin. Drain any excess grease when browned and add to crock pot.

Meanwhile dice bell peppers and white onion. Remove ribs and seeds from jalepenos and finely dice. Add to crock pot.Add 3 cans of tomatos and beans. Stir to combine. Remove chipotles from adobo sauce and chop. Add peppers to crockpot with 2 T adobo sauce. Reserve any remaining sauce and add later if desired. Add corn, green chilis, cinnamon and tomato paste and stir to combine.

Cook on high for 2 hours. Taste for seasoning, add additional cumin and chili powder if desired. If the chili is too spicy, add remaining can of diced tomatos. Turn heat to low and continue cooking an additional 2 hours. Add additional chili powder and cayenne pepper if desired. Add shredded cheese and green onions, stir gently and serve.

I always serve mine over Fritos corn chips with a spoonful of sour cream.

NOTE: I make this in a 6 1/2 quart crock pot, you will have to adjust the quantities above if you wish to make it in anything smaller than 6 quart capacity.

Baked Ricotta Penne

It's cold and raining here so baked pasta seemed like a great idea for dinner. This is such a quick and easy recipe and you can really throw in whatever you want and have on hand.

Baked Ricotta Penne

(Serves 6)

1 box penne (I used whole wheat)

1/2 pound ground turkey (I used 93/7)

1/2 cup ricotta (I used part-skim)

1/4 cup roasted red peppers, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups fresh spinach

1 jar marinara sauce (I used Prego Heart Smart Traditional)

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1 tsp basil

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, lightly spray a 9x9 pan with cooking spray. Bring water to a boil in a large pot for pasta. When water is boiling, add salt and pasta. Cook until al dente, about 8 minutes. Meanwhile, heat a large skillet to over med-high heat. Add ground turkey and crumble with a wooden spoon as it cooks. After about 5 minutes, add minced garlic and roasted red peppers. Add sauce and reduce heat to low. Add ricotta cheese and stir until melted and combined. Lightly chop spinach and add to skillet. Cook until wilted and combined. Drain pasta. Add a ladle of sauce to the prepared baking pan. Add pasta and remaining sauce in layers to make it easier to combine. Mix well to ensure all pasta is coated with sauce. Top with mozzarella cheese and bake approx 20 - 30 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly. I served it with garlic bread but it also works well with steamed broccoli or a caesar salad if you want a lighter meal.

Ground Turkey, Onion and Roasted Red Pepper Calzones

I'm still searching for a great whole wheat pizza dough recipe and while this one is good, it turned out a little dry. As a pizza it is fine, but the double crust of the calzone made it more obvious. I would brush the top of the crust with olive oil before baking and add a little more sauce next time. This recipe is off the Hodgson's Mill flour package with a couple modifications.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough

(Makes 2 calzones or thin crust pizzas)

1 pkg active yeast

1 cup water, heated to 110-115 degrees

1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

2 T olive oil

2 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt

My adds:

2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Italian seasoning

Combine yeast and water and let stand approx 5 minutes. Add wheat flour, olive oil, sugar, salt, and spices. Add 1 cup all purpose flour. Mix until just combined. Turn dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead in additional 1/2 cup flour, kneading until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Place dough in a deep, oiled bowl, turning once to grease top of dough. Cover with plastic wrap and a kitchen towel and let rise until doubled in size, about 30 minutes.

Roll out dough on a well-floured surface. Let rest about 10 minutes before baking.

Ground Turkey, Onion and Roasted Red Pepper Calzones

(Makes a large calzone)

1/2 pizza dough, rolled out thinly

1/2 pound ground turkey

1/4 cup onion, diced

1/4 cup roasted red pepper, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup pizza sauce (increase to 1/3 cup)

1/2 cup shredded mozzerella cheese

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp fennel seed

2 T grated parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees along with a pizza stone. Brown ground turkey with garlic and fennel seed in a small skillet. Add onions and roasted red peppers and remove from heat. Remove hot pizza stone from oven and dust with cornmeal. Spread pizza sauce over rolled out dough, leaving a 1/2" border around the edge. Sprinkle with Italian seasoning and crushed red pepper flakes. Pour meat mixture onto half of the dough, spreading evenly. Cover with mozzerella. Fold empty half of dough over the filling, sealing the edges by folding and crimping the dough. Brush the dough lightly with olive oil. Transfer calzone to hot stone and return to oven for approximately 30 minutes until dough is lightly browned and crisp. Sprinkle top with parmesan and serve.

Crock Pot Lasagna

This is a quick and easy way to get the fantastic flavors of lasagna without all the time and effort. Perfect for a lazy weekend afternoon or busy weeknights.

Crock Pot Lasagna

Recipe adapted from Kraft Foods

(Serves 6)

1 lb. ground beef or turkey (I used 93/7 ground turkey)

1 jar marinara sauce (I used Prego Traditional Heart Smart)

1/2 jar water

1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (I used part-skim ricotta)

2 cups fresh spinach, finely chopped

1 egg

3 T parmesan cheese, grated

1 tsp minced garlic

1 tsp Italian seasoning blend

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp caraway or fennel seeds

1/2 tsp basil

4-6 uncooked lasagna noodles

1 cup shredded mozzerella cheese (I used 2% mozzerella)

Brown ground beef or turkey with minced garlic. When cooked through, add marinara sauce, water, Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, and caraway or fennel seeds. Simmer about 5 more minutes for flavors to combine and remove from heat.

Stir together ricotta cheese, egg, chopped spinach, parmesan and basil.

In a 5 qt. crockpot, ladle approximately 1-2 cups of meat sauce. Layer noodles, breaking to fit until covered. Spoon in half of the ricotta mixture. Add approximately 2 cups of meat sauce. Add another layer of noodles, breaking to fit. Add remaining ricotta mixture. Cover with remaining meat sauce. Cover with mozzerella. Cook on low for approximately 4-5 hours.

Quick and easy dinner

Last night I finally decided to cook something, my poor husband has been eating out or having popcorn for dinner quite a bit lately. However, I didn't have a lot of time and I wanted to use up some of the stuff that's been in our pantry awhile so I came up with this...

(Excuse the iPhone picture please)

Rotini with Ground Turkey:

(Makes 4 large servings)

• 3/4 box of whole wheat rotini or other short pasta
• 12 oz of lean ground turkey
• 1 jar of roasted red peppers, chopped
• 1/2 white onion, diced
• 1/2 jar of marinara sauce
• 1/4 cup of red wine (I used Cabernet Sauvignon)
• Approximately 1 T. of minced garlic
• Crushed red pepper flakes to taste (I use about 1 tsp.)
• Approximately 2 T. of fresh oregano
• Approximately 4 T. of grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese

Brown the ground turkey in a large skillet over med-high heat. At the same time, start the water for the pasta. When the meat is mostly cooked, add the onion and garlic, when the onions are translucent, add the wine to deglaze the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan. Reduce heat to low and let simmer. When most of the liquid is cooked off, add the roasted red peppers and marinara sauce. Meanwhile, add salt to the boiling water for the pasta and cook 8-10 minutes, drain. Add the drained pasta to the meat sauce and toss together. Let simmer another couple of minutes for flavors to combine. Top each serving with some oregano and cheese. Enjoy!