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I’ve been talking a lot about routines recently, probably because ours is changing. A few days back in the office for J a week for the first time since February 2020 means a few changes for us at home, but it also means a few nights a week I can’t just make whatever I want for dinner anymore, I need to make something that can be done ahead and can be eaten at anytime, regardless of what time he walks in the door or if I’ve had to go pick him up from somewhere because something has gone wrong with the trains.
For his first day I made one of both of our favourites, my Slow Cooker Sausage & Butter Bean Casserole which happily blipped away until we were both ready – it turned out I ended up working longer on that day out of the both of us and it was a total life saver. So, today I thought I’d return to something I used to make a lot when we lived in West London, J went into the office every day and I had only just gone full time with food blogging: this Turkey, Tomato & Spinach Pasta Bake.
Actually, yes. I usually buy regular frozen spinach but I accidentally picked up a bag of chopped frozen spinach once and I find it has a really slimy texture and it is really hard to remove all the water from, even though it was the same supermarket brand. Whilst frozen chopped spinach may be good for saag aloo, stick to regular frozen spinach here.
If you’ve got some fresh to use up, wilt it down in a frying pan with a splash of oil over a medium heat before combining it with the creme fraiche and cheese.
Does it matter what sort of turkey mince I use?
While you’ll still get a tasty pasta bake, try to buy turkey thigh mince rather than turkey breast mince, which has much less fat or flavour which may be a little dryer. Don’t worry if you’re trying to be healthy – they’re both relatively lean options! For my American readers ground chicken would also work great here, you’re looking for between 5%-10% fat for a nice moist pasta bake.
This light and easy turkey, spinach and tomato pasta bake is a real crowd pleaser, and can be assembled ahead ready to bake when it is time for dinner!
Ingredients
Scale
250g (9 oz) penne pasta or another tube pasta shape
sea salt
1 tbsp light oil
400g (14 oz) turkey thigh mince
freshly ground black pepper
2 large garlic cloves
1 x 400g (14 oz) tin chopped tomatoes
100ml (1/2 cup) chicken stock
120g (4 1/4 oz) light creme fraiche
30g (1 oz) freshly grated parmesan
1 x 125g (4 1/2 oz) ball mozzarella
140g (5 oz) frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed of excess water
2 large basil sprigs
generous pinch grated nutmeg
Instructions
Pre-heat the oven to 200 degrees (390 farenheit).
Cook the pasta in salted, boiling water for 2 minutes less than the packet instructions. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large saucepan over a high heat. Add the turkey and fry with a generous pinch of sea salt, breaking up with a wooden spoon for 5-6 minutes until all the water has evaporated away and the turkey has started to brown – don’t worry if it sticks to the bottom of the pan a little!
Peel and mince or crush the garlic cloves before stirring them into the pan, cooking for a minute until fragrant.
Add the tinned tomatoes and the chicken stock, using the stock to wash any leftover tomato from the tin. Season generously with salt and pepper before reducing the heat to low. Allow to simmer, uncovered, for 20 minutes.
While the sauce is cooking, stir together the creme fraiche, grated parmesan, half the ball of mozzarella torn into small pieces, the spinach, roughly chopped, and the basil, stems and all, roughly chopped. Season with a pinch of nutmeg and 1/2 tsp of sea salt.
Stir the cooked pasta into the sauce until well coated and spoon half into a medium baking dish. Mine is 8 inches x 8 inches, and reasonably deep.
Dollop the spinach mix evenly over the pasta, then spoon the rest of the pasta and sauce over the top. Top with the remaining mozzarella, again torn into small pieces, and a generous few grinds of black pepper.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbling. Allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving with a green salad.
I'm a food writer, professional recipe developer and cookbook author living in the English Countryside. I love creating easy, accessable recipes filled with vibrant world flavours that are manageable on busy weeknights. Simple and delicious dinners, from my kitchen to yours!
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One Pan Pescatarian: 100 Delicious Dinners – Veggie, Vegan, Fish
My second cookbook contains 100 delicious dinner recipes, all of which are either vegetarian, vegan or which celebrate fish and seafood - all cooked in either one pot or one pan.*
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