Pumpkin Sage Pasta With Ground Turkey, Mushrooms & Kale
Servings: 4 meals
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp olive oil divided into 3
- 1 shallot chopped finely
- 3 clove garlic minced
- 15 oz canned pumpkin 1.5 cups pumpkin puree
- 1 cup canned tomato sauce
- 3 cups chicken broth sub water
- 1 tsp dried sage sub 1 fresh sage leaf, chopped
- 1 tsp pumpkin spice mix
- 1/2 tsp nutmeg
- 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
- salt and pepper to taste
- 16 oz ground turkey sub ground chicken or beef
- 6 oz spaghetti sub pasta of your choice
- 3 cups kale chopped, sub swiss chard or spinach
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream sub milk of your choice
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese add more if you'd like
Instructions
- Add 1 Tbsp. olive oil to a large skillet or saucepan (with high sides) over medium heat. Add the shallots with a pinch of salt and saute for 3-4 minutes, then add the garlic and saute for an additional minute until it becomes aromatic, stirring frequently.
- When the shallots and garlic are fragrant, add the pumpkin, tomato sauce, broth, sage, pumpkin spice, nutmeg, crushed red pepper (if using) and a generous amount of salt. Pepper is optional. Stir well and bring to a low boil, then simmer for 15-20 minutes.
- In another pan, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil for 2 minutes over medium heat, then add the ground turkey with salt and pepper. Using a spatula or wooden spoon, break up the ground turkey and cook until it's no longer pink. Taste it and add more salt if needed. Then transfer it to the pan with the pumpkin sauce.
- Cook the pasta according to package directions. Make sure to salt the water. In the last two minutes, add the kale to the pasta pot until it wilts. Drain the pasta and kale **Reserve 1/3 cup of pasta water!
- In the same pan you used to cook the turkey, add the last tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Then add the mushrooms with salt and pepper. Cook the mushrooms, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until they've reduced significantly in size and are fragrant. Add the mushrooms to the pan with the pumpkin sauce.
- Taste the sauce and adjust spices as needed. If it's very thick, add 1/3 cup of the pasta water you reserved and stir. Turn off the heat and stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Add the pasta and kale to the sauce and use tongs to toss everything together.
- Divide the pasta among four meal prep containers. Note that you can freeze this meal. If you dont use it often, you can also freeze extra heavy cream for future use.