caprese pasta bake printable recipe
ingredients:
1/2 box rigatoni pasta
1 pound lean ground turkey (optional if you want to keep this vegetarian!)
2 cups marinara sauce
1/4 cup light cream
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
4 oz. fresh mozzarella (cut into chunks)
1 cup grape tomatoes (cut in half)
appx. 10 fresh basil leaves
directions:
1. preheat your oven to 350 degrees and spray a large glass baking dish with nonstick spray.
2. to prep, chop your tomatoes, basil and mozzarella. set them aside.
3. get a large pot of water boiling and cook your pasta according to directions on the box.
4. meanwhile, brown your ground turkey in a large skillet (you’ll eventually add the sauce, etc, so make sure it’s roomy). if you’re not planning to include meat in this meal, skip ahead to the next step!
5. once the turkey is cooked, add the sauce to the pan and then slowly stir in the cream and parmesan. set this aside momentarily.
6. drain your pasta and pour it into the first layer of the baking dish. pour the sauce/turkey mixture over that and then layer on MOST (not all) your tomatoes/mozzarella/basil. toss all these ingredients together until they’re well-mixed and then go ahead and top the baking dish with the remaining cheese/tomatoes/basil.
7. bake for 20 minutes or so, until the cheese on top is melted and golden. let it sit/set for about 10 minutes before digging in and serving!
