Penne Pasta with Ground Turkey

     Have you ever just had a taste for pasta with meat sauce?  A comforting meal just for the heck of it?  Even though it could be 90 degrees outside, David had a rough few days with work and I figured he needed something for dinner that A) didn't take a lot of effort and B) was a great hearty dinner just for the two of us to enjoy.  I figured this would be an opportunity to use up some fresh veggies from the garden and meat from the freezer.  I had ground turkey in the freezer, fresh basil and parsley, zucchini, pasta and tomato basil pasta sauce.  The above picture is the result.

    I doctored up the jarred pasta sauce with the fresh herbs, fresh garlic and zucchini.  I sauteed the garlic with some olive oil, added the zucchini, salt and pepper.  I then added the sauce, and fresh herbs.  I combined the browned ground turkey to the sauce and tossed all together with the cooked pasta.  Extremely easy and quick to put together.  

Ingredients:

• 4 tbsp olive oil, split into 2
• 2 cloves of fresh garlic, minced
• 1 box penne pasta
• 2 lbs. ground beef
• handful of fresh parsley, chopped
• handful of fresh basil, thinly sliced
• 2 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 jar tomato and basil pasta sauce
• salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
2. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a large skillet.  Once the oil is heated at medium high heat, add turkey.  Season with salt and pepper and oregano.  Continue to brown until cooked through.  Drain and transfer to a plate.
3. Add remaining tbsps of oil to the skillet used to cook the ground turkey.  Add minced garlic and zucchini.  Season with salt and pepper.  Saute for about 3 to 5 minutes.  Add jarred sauce.  * Quick Tip: To get all of the sauce out from the jar, add a little water to the empty jar, return the cap to the jar, shake, and pour the remaining bits of sauce and water to the skillet.  Stir to combine.  Add fresh parsley.  Once the sauce is heated through, add the turkey.  Adjust seasonings.  Remove from the heat and add the basil.  
4. It's your choice if you want to toss everything together with the pasta or serve the sauce and pasta separately.  Top with a little freshly grated parmesan.  Enjoy!!