Turkey Fettuccine Bake

With Winter here in full force, it seems like lately all I want is comfort food.  Something creamy, easy, warm and delicious…that’s all I’m asking for!

If this just happens to be what you’re after, this little recipe fits the bill perfectly.  Very quick to throw together, you won’t have to wait for the weekend to enjoy it.  The great news??  Your waistline will not suffer, and your brain will have no idea that it’s a healthy version of creamy deliciousness!

The other great thing about this recipe is that I had all of the ingredients on hand.  I had leftover Thanksgiving turkey that I had frozen and all of the rest of the ingredients are staples in my house.

I found this recipe at Taste of Home and made only a very few minor changes.  As I was throwing it together, I kept getting these whiffs of aroma from the sauce, and it smelled SO GOOD.  Try it today!

Ingredients:

• 6 ounces dried fettuccine
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• ¼ cup chopped celery, about one stalk
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup skim milk
• ½ tsp garlic seasoning blend or Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
• ½ tsp fresh ground pepper
• 1 tablespoons cornstarch
• ¼ cup fat-free half-and-half
• 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 2 cups cubed cooked turkey breast
• ½ cup shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese

Preparation:

Cook fettuccine according to package directions.

Separately, in a large ovenproof skillet, heat olive oil over med/high heat and sauté the onion, celery and garlic for about 3 minutes, until just beginning to soften. (Note:  If you don’t have an ovenproof skillet, you can make this just as easily right on your stovetop, really there’s no need to broil it).

Add mushrooms and sauté until vegetables are tender.

Stir in the milk, seasoning blend and pepper. Bring to a simmer.

In a small bowl, combine cornstarch and half-and-half until smooth; stir into skillet.

Stir and simmer the sauce mixture until thickened and bubbly; this happens pretty quickly.

Stir in Parmesan cheese until it’s melted.

Stir in turkey and mix.

Drain fettuccine and add to sauce mixture, stirring to incorporate.

Heat through then sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

 

Place the ovenproof skillet under your oven broiler for about 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted.  Again, this is not a necessary step, you can heat the entire skillet on the stovetop until cheese is melted and it’s just as yummy!

(Please excuse this yellow-y pic - bad lighting!)

Serve!  I topped mine with a sprinkling of red pepper flakes, a little more Parm. and served it with broccoli.

Optional changes:

Make it meatless!

Add broccoli!

Add spinach!

Add cauliflower!!
...you get where I’m going with this??  Make it your own!

Nutrition:

Serves 4 – approximately 1 cup each
Calories 324 / Carbs 44g / Fat 7g / Protein 29g / Fiber 5g / Sodium 588mg