Baked Pasta with Spinach, Turkey, & Squash Sauce

Kids really do say the darndest things. My coworker told me a cute story about her five-year-old last week. Something cool happened and her little girl exclaimed, “That's awesome sauce Mom!” 

And so I share with you today some truly awesome sauce. It's awesome squash sauce. Making sauce out of squash may sound strange, but it's quite popular these days. It's an inspired way to achieve a blissfully creamy and comforting sauce without a ton of cheese and cream. Oh, and it tastes like autumn!

The only downside to this dish is you may need to peel a butternut squash. I've seen it sliced and prepackaged but no such luck in my neck of the woods. Anyways, I tackled that sucker and am all the better for it now that I have squash sauce in my life. 

Let me tell you more about this heavy but healthy pasta dish! It's chock full of whole wheat pasta, smothered in smooth spicy/sweet squash sauce, dotted with lean turkey and wilted spinach, and topped with a thin blanket of cheese. You're going to want to stick your face right in this squash sauce. 

Baked Pasta with Spinach, Turkey, & Squash Sauce

Adapted from Pinch of Yum

Servings: 10
Calories: 293
Fat: 7 g
Carbs: 42 g
Protein: 20 g
Fiber: 5 g 

Ingredients

• 2 small yellow onions
• 6 cloves garlic
• medium butternut squash, peeled and cubed, about 4-5 cups
• 4 cups vegetable broth (or 4 cups water with 4 tsp chicken bouillon dissolved)
• salt + pepper + italian seasoning (or mix of basil & oregano)
• ¼ cup + 2 tbsp half and half
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1-1.3  lb. ground turkey (93% lean)
• 3 cups packed fresh spinach
• 1 cup cheese, grated (provolone, cheddar jack, mozzarella—whatever you like!) 
• 1 lb. whole wheat rigatoni or penne

There are a few steps here, but it all comes together fairly quickly if you multitask a bit! Get a head start by boiling your water for the pasta while you take care of the other suff. 

Start by Mincing the onions and garlic. Set aside. Bring the vegetable broth to a boil and add half of the onion/garlic mixture and the prepared squash. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until squash/onion/garlic are fork-tender. Drain most of the liquid, reserving ½ cup. Transfer the cooked squash combined with ½ cup of the vegetable broth from the pot to a blender and puree until smooth, adding salt, pepper, and dried oregano to taste. Stir in cream and milk and set aside. Taste that squash sauce heaven!

Meanwhile, brown the turkey over medium high heat with the remaining onion/garlic mixture. Season generously with salt, pepper, and oregano. Drain out any excess liquid so that the meat will get a browned, charred look.

Cook the pasta in a large pot, undercooking to prevent mushiness since you'll be baking it. (about 6 minutes) Drain, then add the sauce, sausage, and spinach to the pot with the noodles. Stir until combined and tansfer to a large baking dish stopping half way to add a layer of cheese (about ½ cup) Pour remaining pasta mixture in and sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of cheese on top. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until the top is beginning to brown and everything is heated through.

Chicken Parmesan Casserole

This recipe is the most popular post on one of my new favorite blogs, Emily Bites! I've tried several of her lightened up main dishes and they have all been major winners!

This casserole is awesome for so many reasons. Although I love my classic Skillet Chicken Parmesan, this recipe skips the steps of dredging and dipping which can get bit messy. Just throw the raw chicken in the oven with a few other simple ingredients and you'll have a comforting, flavorful supper waiting in less than an hour. I especially love the buttery and crunchy topping! Pair this with a green salad and this famous bread from Pioneer Woman!

Chicken Parmesan Casserole
Adapted from Emily Bites
Servings: 8
Calories: 303
Fat: 11 g
Protein: 37 g
Carbs: 15 g
Fiber: 1 g

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs raw boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• ¼ t crushed red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

• ¼ cup fresh basil, finely chopped

• 2 cups marinara/pasta sauce (I used Trader Joe's)

• 1 ½ cups 2% part skim shredded mozzarella cheese, (shred yourself please!) divided

• 2 oz (or ½ cup) Parmesan cheese, grated (I used the stuff in the green can), divided

• 3.5 oz garlic croutons, roughly crushed

• Fresh basil or parsley, roughly chopped (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray and spread cubed pieces of chicken across the bottom in a single layer. Sprinkle the minced garlic, red pepper flakes and basil evenly over the top. Cover with sauce and sprinkle with ¾ cup mozzarella and 1/3 cup of the parmesan. Scatter the crushed croutons on top and cover with remaining cheese. Bake for 40 minutes and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

A lot has happened since I last checked in! Gradon and I took a trip to New England and hit Providence, New Haven, Newport and Boston. Each was cool in its own way, but Rhode Island felt the most homey. It was exactly the way I had always pictured it in my mind! Some of our sweetest memories were riding our bikes to the Newport mansions, walking the jagged cliff walk, snacking at the fabulous food court that is Quincy Market, eating questionable melon pastries in China Town and admiring the boston skyline over the shimmering bay. 

We scoped out a few med schools while we were there and were pretty impressed with them.While seeing Eastern Virginia Medical School, we stopped in randomly at a diner called Doumars (the cute ice cream sign drew us in) and it turned out to be a city icon! Guy Fieri from Diners, Drive Ins and Dives was framed on the wall because he had featured the place on his show. The best part was the uncommonly friendly people—an elderly gentlemen who was a regular at Doumars even picked up our tab!

Strawberry Shortcake Skewers

Do you ever find yourself turning down invitations to potlucks because you're just too busy (or in my case lazy) to whip something up? I do! When I'm called upon to bring dessert last second, I get a little panicked because I don't want to disappoint with some questionable store bought cake from Kroger. I know, I know, silly right? But regardless, it's nice to have a simple, semi-homemade treats in your arsenal for times like this!

These Strawberry Shortcake Skewers totally saved the day a few weeks back when we were invited to a med school barbecue! I had to smile when everyone oohed and ahhed at something that requires exactly three ingredients and took me 15 minutes flat. This is hands down the easiest and most beautiful potluck treat I've made. I hope it becomes your new potluck go-to!

Strawberry Shortcake Skewers

Makes 12-15 large skewers

Ingredients

• Store-bought angel food cake bundt (in bakery section)
• Milk or White chocolate (melting discs, almond bark or chocolate chips)
• Strawberries (one package)
• Skewers

 

Slice angel food cake into cubes and set aside. Hull strawberries and slice in half. Skewer the cake and push it to the bottom of the skewer. Follow with a strawberry half and continue until you fill the skewer. (I had three of each on each skewer) Place skewers on a sheet of waxed paper.

Fill pastry bag or Ziploc bag half way or so with chocolate. Melt in the microwave in short intervals (30 seconds), smooshing the chocolate around with your fingers in between nukings until you reach the desired consistency. Return it to the microwave as needed. Snip a small hole in corner of the bag and drizzle chocolate over each skewer. Keep in the fridge until ready to serve.

We've had some great summer fun with friends and family lately! While it certainly has its ups and downs, Gradon's schedule has been surprisingly manageable throughout these surgery rotations. We keep waiting for medical school to get really bad and scary, but so far we haven't seen it! Either Gradon is just a natural or we're just very blessed or both! The last few months have been filled with nature hikes, baseball games, county fairs, gardening, fireworks, date nights, homemade dinners and cookie baking. Here are some recent highlights!

Peaches & Cream Stuffed French Toast

Eating a perfectly ripe peach is an ennobling experience. My sister once described to me having a “moment” with a peach when she felt compelled to sit down and savor its goodness. Have you ever eaten something so special that it warranted that kind of undivided attention? I have! This stuffed french toast is a total showstopper!

The sweet and slightly tart taste of the peach screams summer, and coupled with decadent cinnamon sugar cream cheese, luscious french toast dusted with powdered sugar and topped with a drizzle of warm maple syrup? Guys, the result is pure heaven!

This dish is perfect for overnight guests or a romantic brunch. It looks like something out of a fancy bed and breakfast, but it's simple to make! If you can make a sandwich, (and I know you can ;)) you can make this elegant french toast.

Peaches & Cream Stuffed French Toast

Adaptedfrom Two Peas and Our Pod

Serves 4

Ingredients:

Filling

• 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
• 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups sliced fresh peaches (plus more diced peaches for topping)

French toast

• 8 slices French bread (1 loaf of thicker bread, not skinny baguette)
• 8 large eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• syrup (for topping)

To make the filling, mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, cinnamon and vanilla extract with a spoon until smooth. Spread cream cheese filling on slices of bread and top with peach slices. Make two French toast "sandwiches."

In shallow pan or pie plate, beat eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon. Dip the sandwiches in the egg mixture on each side.

Heat a large skillet or griddle to medium heat. Cook French toast sandwiches for a few minutes until golden brown and then flip and repeat on the other side. 

Serve warm with diced peaches and maple syrup for an unforgettable breakfast or brunch!