Cheesy Turkey Baked Pasta

I stole this recipe from Pinterest, the night I planned to make it, I accidentally fell sleep on the couch (it's great to not have children). My husband asked me what I planned on making and I threw my phone with the recipe on it to him. I woke up and dinner was almost ready and heading into the oven. For those of you who know my husband knows he does NOT cook and it just shows how easy this little treat is to make.

To Make Enough for 6-8 Servings, You will need:

1 Tablespoon of olive oil

1 medium Onion, chopped

2 large Garlic Clove, minced

¼ teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes

¾ pound Ground Turkey

4 Cups cooked Pasta Shells

2 ½ Cups Marinara Sauce (canned or homemade)

¼ Cup chopped fresh Parsley

1 ½ Cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese (divided)

¼ cup grated fresh Parmesan Cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 9X13 dish with nonstick spray.

2. In a large pan, heat the oil over the medium-heat and add onion, garlic and red pepper flakes. Sauté until onions have softened, about 4 minutes. Crumble in the ground turkey and cook until the turkey is browned about 5 minutes. Stir in pasta, marinara sauce, parsley and 1 cup of the cheese. 

Spoon the pasta mixture into the prepared dish. Sprinkle remaining ½ cup of cheese on top and the Parmesan cheese too.

3. Bake until cheese is melted and bubbly about 20 minutes.

Slow Cooker Raspberry-Balsamic Glazed Meatball

Although this is not one of my recipes, I completely stole it from a slow cooker cook book but, it's so delicious I wanted to share with everyone. It's very good, this is easy to prepare and even good for the picky eater in the family.

To Make enough for 6 to 8 servings you will need:

1 Bag (2 pounds) frozen fully-cooked meatballs

1 Cup of raspberry preserves

3 Tablespoons of Sugar

3 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar

1 ½ Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce

¼ teaspoons dried pepper flakes

1 Tablespoon grated fresh Ginger (optional)

Directions:

1. Coat 6 quart Crock pot slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Add frozen meatballs; set aside

2.Combine preserves, sugar, vinegar, worcestershire sauce and pepper flakes in small microwavable bowl, Microwave in HIGH for 45 seconds. Stir, microwave 15 seconds longer or until melted (mixture will be chunky). Reserve ½ cup mixture. Pour remaining mixture over meatballs and toss gently to coat well. Cover; cook on LOW for 5 hours or on HIGH for 2 ½ hours.

3. Turn slow cooker on HIGH. Stir in ginger, if desired and reserved ½ cup preserve mixture. Cook, uncovered, on HIGH 15 to 20 minutes longer or until thickened slightly, stirring occasionally

Serving Suggestions:   Serve as main dish, toss with chopped green onions and serve over hot rice.