One Pan Cheesy Turkey Pasta

When I was a kid we did not have a lot of money. My parents were (and are) amazing and worked hard to provide us with everything we ever needed, but there were times when things were just a little tight for the wants of life. They made the (entirely personal) choice, rather unpopular for the day, to have my mom stay home and take care of us rather than work outside of the home and because of this choice sacrifices were made and corners were cut. I am beyond grateful for those years with her home and the sacrifices that it took to get there.

One thing that never seemed to take the hit from our monetary struggle was mealtime. Somehow, someway my mom always managed to have good, solid home cooked meals on the table, every single night. Granted, we weren’t dining on steak and caviar, but we were well fed and the food was good. In hindsight, I know that she did this with careful planning and largely because we couldn’t afford to eat out as a family, but as a kid I just knew that dinner was good and my belly was full.

I didn’t realize until about middle school just how unusual this was for a family to do. I didn’t realize it, really, until a friend came over and stared, in awe, at my moms hand written weekly dinner menu posted on our mustard yellow 1970s fridge. At the time, I was embarrassed, thinking this was just another thing about my family that was different and therefore weird. I thought my friend was mocking us (she wasn’t). And I recall even being slightly annoyed at my mom for doing this, for being so different, so weird. 

Golly….teenagers are such jerks, aren’t they?

But I know why now. I absolutely 100% understand what she was doing.

I understand because now, as a mom myself with a family to feed and a budget to do it with, I do the exact same thing. My menu is on a white board, not paper. But that’s the only difference. I give my mom credit for a lot of things, for my determination, my service mindset, my nurturing side. But when it comes to things she’s handed down, this is by far the most practical.

If I’m going to be honest with you, friends, I didn’t realize, once again, just how unique this is. I thought everyone planned meals in advance and worked their grocery shopping around them. I thought everyone mapped out their week, figuring out which days called for 10 minute meals and which ones could handle a solid 30. I thought most people have enough of a working knowledge and toolbox of recipes that they felt confident in how to provide healthy dinners for their families without the stress and battle of the daily “what’s for dinner” conversations.

Once again, I prove my own ignorance with my assumptions.

After multiple conversations with friends and readers I’ve learned that almost none of my assumptions are correct. Many of you don’t know where to start when it comes to meal planning. You either resort to the same rotation of meals over and over OR you just bail out completely, choosing the drive thru or delivery every time. I am not here to say that there is anything wrong with either of those options. I mean, Chick Fil A is my dream (why is it so good? Really. I need to know). But I hear from you that you want more. You want to do better. You approach dinner with trepidation and stress, dreading the dinner bell every day. 

I hear you. I understand. 

And because of this, I am changing things up a little bit around here. One of my passions with this blog has always been to bring the family back to the dinner table. I strongly believe in eating together and I strongly believe that food, and good food at that, can balance and steady us from the inside out. I believe that cooking doesn’t have to be hard and meals don’t have to complicated for them to be good. And I believe that anybody, and I mean ANYBODY, can feed their family well in the time they have with the money they have if they work at it.

To challenge myself (and to save a little $$$) I put my theory to the test this summer. I decided to buckle down, put my money where my mouth is and feed my family of FIVE on a shoestring. It wasn’t easy. It wasn’t always pretty. But I will tell you that for three months straight I managed to feed my family on $700 per month, including Costco. 

Turns out I was right. It is possible.

Now, I will say that this is not sustainable for most. I will say that there were times when we were creeping towards the end of the month and running out of food FAST. I will say those moments caused a bit of panic.

But we did it. And you can too.

In a few weeks, I will be launching a meal planning series where I walk you through my process. I will share my weekly meal plans, including my recipes and grocery lists. I promise you that nothing I make is difficult or hard, some, like french bread pizzas can honestly be put together in 10 minutes. I don’t expect you to follow along with every meal I make, though it will be really cool if you do, but I want to give you an idea of how it looks and how it can be done.

I also will be creating a new landing space on this blog for what I like to call Toolbox Recipes (check out the menu for a hint of what’s to come). Toolbox Recipes are recipes you know by heart. They’re recipes that you can whip up with a blindfold on, one hand tied behind your back and a toddler hanging on your leg. I believe we all need toolbox recipes. We need to have an arsenal of them. Our family needs to love them. And they need to be EASY.

I have a TON. Many I have already shared on this blog and will be adding to the landing page. Lemon Chicken, Spicy Sausage and Tortellini Soup, Easy Crock Pot Chili and Oricchette with Italian Sausage and Greens are just a few. They’ll be there. But I also promise to keep them coming. Each week I’ll share a new Toolbox Recipe just for you and your family. I would love feedback on them, photos if you try and recipe requests (or ideas) if you have them. And be sure to follow my facebook page because I’ll be doing some FB lives and fun things with this new idea. I want it to be an interactive space where we can all learn and grow, both in the kitchen and in our families. 

I want dinner to be the least stressful thing on your plate each day. And my plan is to help you get there.

In the meantime, I am sharing another family favorite Toolbox recipe with you today. This is sorta kinda like skillet lasagna, only easier and without the ricotta, mainly because my family doesn’t prefer it. It takes about 20 minutes, start to finish, less if you used pre-chopped onion and garlic. There is one pan to clean. Enough to feed an army. And did I mention that everyone loves it?

This is the definition of a toolbox recipe, friends. And it’s DELICIOUS.

So stay tuned for some good stuff brewing. Check out the new drop down menu with a rapidly expanding arsenal of recipes perfect for busy weeknights. And make this for your family tonight. It’s like love in a pan. If that’s even possible.

Peace, love and dinner,
Meg 

One Pan Cheesy Turkey Pasta

March 17, 2020

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By: Meaghan Dawson

Ingredients

• 1 medium onion, finely diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon basil (dried--slightly more if using fresh)
• 1 teaspoon oregano (dried)
• pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 pound ground turkey
• 1 pound farfalle pasta
• 1 28 ounce jar pasta sauce of your choice
• 3 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups mozzarella cheese

Directions

• Step 1 Heat a drizzle of oil in a large saute pan over medium heat.
• Step 2 Once hot, add onions. Season with salt and pepper.
• Step 3 Rub oregano and basil in your palm for a second to release flavor and add to the pan along with red pepper.
• Step 4 Cook, stirring often, until onions are fragrant and translucent, roughly 2-3 minutes.
• Step 5 Add garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
• Step 6 Add turkey. Season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking apart with spatula, for 5 minutes or until browned.
• Step 7 Add in pasta, sauce and water, stirring well to combine.
• Step 8 Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer, cooking for roughly 12 minutes or until pasta is done (check often as pasta cooking times can vary). Stir often to keep from sticking.
• Step 9 Once pasta is tender, add 1/2 cup of mozzarella and stir until completely melted into the sauce.
• Step 10 Turn off heat.
• Step 11 Add remaining 1 cup of cheese and cover until melted.
• Step 12 Serve immediately.
• Step 13 Makes great leftovers too!

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