Bring a bit of food royalty back to the table with this savory casserole! The King Bake rules and your royal court, ahem, we mean your family, will love it! By great authority, juicy ground turkey, tender pasta, and a distinctively seasoned tomato sauce joins rank, and then is melted into mozzarella greatness. It is with great honor that we present The King Bake for your eating excellency. Everyone will bow down in food-loving reverence! Power to the bake!
Ingredients
- 3 cups whole-wheat penne or fusilli pasta
- 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 large cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
- 1 teaspoon dried basil
- red pepper flakes, to taste, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- ground black pepper, to taste
- 1 pound extra-lean ground turkey
- 1 (28-ounce) jar low-sodium tomato sauce
- 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 4 cups kale, stems removed and leaves chopped
- 2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
- 1/3 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped, for garnish
Directions
Step 1 –Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Step 2 –Coat a 9×13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Step 3 –In a large pot of salted, boiling water, cook the pasta until about 4 minutes shy of al dente, according to the package directions.
Step 4 –Reserve 1 cup of the pasta water and drain the rest. Set the pasta aside.
Step 5 –In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil.
Step 6 –Add the onion and the garlic to the heated olive oil and sauté, stirring occasionally, about 2-3 minutes.
Step 7 –Add the oregano, the rosemary, the basil, the red pepper flakes, the salt, and the black pepper to the onion mixture and cook, stirring occasionally, about 30 seconds.
Step 8 –Add the ground turkey to the onion mixture and cook, while crumbling the meat, until the turkey is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 9 –Add the tomato sauce, the honey, the balsamic vinegar, and the reserved pasta water to the turkey mixture and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Step 10 –Reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer the turkey mixture, about 2 minutes.
Step 11 –Add the kale to the turkey mixture and stir to combine.
Step 12 –Add the pasta to the turkey mixture and stir to combine.
Step 13 –Transfer the turkey mixture from the heat.
Step 14 –Spread 1/2 of the turkey mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish and evenly sprinkle with 1 cup of the cheese.
Step 15 –Spread the remaining turkey mixture over the cheese layer and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
Step 16 –Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake the turkey bake until the cheese has melted, about 20 minutes.
Step 17 –Transfer the turkey bake from the oven and let it stand, about 10 minutes.
Step 18 –Serve the turkey bake garnished with the fresh parsley and the red pepper flakes.
