A package of mushrooms, some leftover frozen turkey and a few pantry staples come to the rescue for a quick dinner. If you’ve frozen the turkey in bite-size pieces as well as portion sizes, it’s even easier because turkey in smaller pieces will thaw quicker and in some cases need not be thawed at all.
This dish requires little prep time and gets its creamy sauce from cream cheese and half-and-half or milk. The sauce just coats the pasta. If you want more sauce, use a bit more (eyeball it) half-and-half or milk. You also can use a smaller pasta or mini versions of bow-ties or penne. And don’t forget to reserve some of the pasta water to thin out the sauce if it’s too thick. Using the pasta water, which has some starchiness, helps thin out the sauce but keeps a sauce-like consistency.
If you don’t have frozen peas, you can use fresh or frozen broccoli or leaf spinach. The mushrooms add a hearty flavor and get an added sweetness from the sherry. I prefer using cremini mushrooms for their heartier flavor, but white mushrooms work just as well.
Top it all off with a sprinkling of Parmesan and dinner is done.
Rigatoni with Turkey and Peas
Serves: 4 (generously)
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
The sauce for this recipe just coats the pasta. Use smaller pasta for a saucier consistency.
8 oz. (1/2 box) rigatoni
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 oz. cremini mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1/4 cup sherry
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese, softened
11/2 cups fat-free half-and-half or fat-free milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 cups cooked turkey breast, cubed
1 cup fresh or frozen peas
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
Prepare pasta according to package directions, reserve 2 cups of the pasta water and then drain the pasta and leave in the colander. In the same pot, heat the olive oil and butter over medium heat. Add the garlic and saute 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and saute until they are tender. Add the sherry and deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom. Sprinkle the mixture with flour and cook 1 minute. Stir in the cream cheese until it melts. Slowly pour in the half-and-half or milk. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a spoon.
Season with salt, poultry seasoning and black pepper. Stir in the cubed turkey, cooked pasta and peas and heat through. If the mixture is too thick, add some of the reserved pasta water a little at a time to thin to desired consistency. Serve in bowl sprinkled with Parmesan cheese.
From and tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen. 352 calories (33 percent from fat), 13 grams fat (6 grams sat. fat), 39 grams carbohydrates, 19 grams protein, 737 mg sodium, 46 mg cholesterol, 2 grams fiber.
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