Turkey and Pasta Bake

Autumn is here, and with a vengeance, I might add. Cold and blustery is the only way to describe the weather. Tonight, I was in the mood for something rich, sinful and indulgent. Now, you might be thinking it was something heavy and either starch or dairy-based. You'd be highly incorrect. This dish is mostly protein-based with lighter starch and even lighter dairy based accents. Lean ground turkey and turkey bacon combine with some simple savory ingredients to create a delicious, wholesome meal. The downside is that it takes a little longer to make, since there's about an hour of simmering time in order to render down the vegetables, but it spends only about 20 - 30 minutes in the oven. Once it's ready, however, be prepared to dig in and wholly prepare to have NO leftovers. Serve this with tiny dinner rolls (I found some delicious rye dinner rolls at the grocery store today), and a good red wine. Plus, since it's nearly Halloween, why not eat in front of the TV and enjoy a good scary movie?

Turkey and Pasta Bake

10 oz. lean ground turkey

5 oz. smoked turkey bacon, chopped

1 - 2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 onion, finely chopped

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 tbsp. no salt added tomato paste

12 oz. fat free, reduced sodium chicken stock

8 oz. rigatoni or penne pasta (I used low-carb pasta)

2 tbsp. grated Parmesan cheese

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Brown the turkey in a nonstick saucepan over medium heat. Make sure there are no large chunks of turkey (think the consistency of sloppy joes). Add the chopped turkey bacon, garlic, onion, carrots, paste, stock and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and cook for 1 hour, until the vegetables are tender.

While the meat mixture is cooking, preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling, salted water according to the package directions, until al dente; you may want to undercook the pasta by a minute or two, because it's going to finish cooking while it's in the oven. Drain the pasta thoroughly and mix with the turkey sauce.

Transfer the mixture to a shallow ovenproof dish and sprinkle with the grated Parmesan cheese. Bake for 20 - 30 minutes, until it's lightly browned on top.

Serve immediately with sides of your choice.

Serves 4

Butterscotch "Blondie" Oatmeal Cookies

Let me make this perfectly clear. As a rule, I loathe anything butterscotch-flavored. The only exceptions are the little Brach's butterscotch candies, and these cookies. Rich, toothy, delicious and wholesome are four words that aptly describe this particular cookie. This is a take on a chocolate chip oatmeal cookie, essentially, and with the inclusion of butterscotch chips instead of chocolate, it turns into a "blondie" instead (like "blondie" brownies). These little morsels are very rich, so ideally, make them small. Less is definitely more. However, you may find yourself dipping into the cookie jar repeatedly throughout the day. Don't blame me!

Butterscotch "Blondie" Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

½ cup Truvia Baking Blend (or, 1 cup granulated sugar)

1 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed**

2 extra large eggs, at room temperature

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1½ cups flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. kosher salt

3 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 (11 oz.) bag butterscotch chips

1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped (or, 1 cup toasted pecans, coarsely chopped)

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and the sugars until light and fluffy (about 3 to 4 minutes on medium high speed). Turn the mixer to low and add the eggs one at a time. Beat in the vanilla.

In a medium mixing bowl, sift together the dry ingredients, minus the oatmeal. With the mixer on low, slowly add the dry ingredients and mix just until the flour disappears.

Turn off the mixer, then add the oatmeal, butterscotch chips and the nuts. Beat on low speed briefly to combine. 

Chill the dough in the refrigerator for an hour or two. When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Line two baking sheets with parchment paper, or coat them with nonstick cooking spray. Using a small cookie scoop, drop the dough onto the cookie sheets. Dampen your fingers with a little bit of water and press the cookies down slightly.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the edges are lightly browned. Let the cookies cool on the sheets for 5 minutes; this is an important step, so do NOT skip it.

Remove the cookies to racks and let them cool completely. Store in air-tight containers for up to 5 days. These can also be frozen.

Yields about 5½ dozen

NOTE:  I made my own dark brown sugar using the Truvia Baking Blend. Use ½ cup of the Truvia and combine it with 2½ tsp. molasses (do not use blackstrap). Combine the Truvia and molasses until it's well-blended and has the consistency of regular brown sugar. You'll be surprised at how good these cookies taste despite how little actual sugar is in them.