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Episode 2: Ground Turkey Penne Bake

Welcome back everybody! Thanks for returning for Episode Two: Ground Turkey Penne Bake. This recipe originates with my Grandma Bernice, and she is not Italian. She's a Jew, and she's from Cuero, TX, a place I'm basically sure you've never heard of. That said, she is a fabulous cook, as are many Jewish grandmothers from small towns.

Grandma Bernice's basic baked pasta recipe consisted of shells, marinara sauce and the delicious kicker: a Parmesan cheese crust. It is fabulous in its simplicity. When I started dabbling in cookery, it was one of the first recipes I attempted because it's so easy and yummy. As I've gotten more adventurous, I've tried adding a ton of different things to this dish in hopes of finding a great combination: mushrooms, ground beef, ricotta cheese, etc. etc. etc. Some of the stuff worked and some of it reallllllllllllly didn't. But that's OK, I'm not ashamed! It takes a lot of tries before you land on a winner. And I definitely have found a winner in this pasta combo!

The final dish you'll see on the video involves wheat pasta, mushrooms, onions and, of course, the pièce de résistance, the Parmesan crust. Oh man, I'm tasting that crust in my mouth right now, and it tastes GOOD. That sentence was gross, but trust me, this pasta dish isn't.

A few notes: You can use ANY kind of pasta you want in this dish, although I suggest you stick to smaller shapes as they're easier to cut up. You could use bow ties, shells, penne, etc. And you could use ground beef, turkey or ground pork. Whatever you have around or whatever's cheapest at the grocery. Don't skim on the sauce though - use something high quality made of good stuff. Read the ingredients! Look for tomatoes and garlic and try and avoid fructose and other crap you can't pronounce.

I promise, after you taste this pasta, you will start to crave it!  Enjoy enjoy! And don't forget to leave your comments on the site, or you can email me at [email protected]. SHALOM!

Tags: ground turkey, penne, episode 2, ground turkey penne bake, Italian recipe, easy recipe, cheap recipe, Penne Pasta, Pasta, mushrooms, marinara sauce, daniel schloss, allie schwartz

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