Full House Baked Italian Turkey Ziti
Full House Baked Italian Turkey Ziti is filled with turkey, sprinkled with cheese, and enough food to feed your whole family… and the neighbors!
Are you looking for a meal to feed your entire family and keep them full until morning? Search no more. Full House Baked Italian Turkey Ziti is absolutely stuffed with ground turkey, and there are some hidden carrots in there as well if you’re hoping to sneak some veggies into dinner.
Adaptions
This recipe is adapted from Jennie O’s Turkey Bolognese Ziti. My recipe omits the lean sweet Italian turkey sausage links because for years (thanks, covid) it was difficult to find at the grocery stores where I shop. However, I do want to note that the dish is just as delicious with sausage as it is without, and I’m starting to see the sausage available in some grocery stores again. If you prefer to use a mixture of turkey sausage and ground turkey in my recipe like the source recipe does, cut the ground turkey in half and add in five sausage links (casings removed).
This recipe uses a higher meat-to-pasta ratio than the original recipe to amp it up. I omit the celery because I usually don’t want to spend the time dicing it. I use a larger amount of spices and remove some of the ingredients that I don’t find necessary (bay leaf, tomato paste). Before you come at me about how bay leaves and tomato paste can enhance a dish, I won’t dispute your argument. However, this recipe already has more than a few ingredients, and I wanted to simplify the ingredient list just a smidge.
Recipe Overview
Cook penne according to package directions. Cook turkey, then add onions, carrots, salt, and pepper. Add garlic. Add tomatoes, beef broth, balsamic vinegar, basil, and Italian seasoning. Mix turkey sauce with penne, top with cheese, and bake for 30 minutes.
How to Freeze and Reheat
You know what’s great about this Full House Baked Italian Turkey Ziti? It’s enough for a party. The second great thing is that you can freeze it before or after baking! If you aren’t sure if you’ll finish the entire batch, bake it anyway. Whatever you don’t eat, you can still freeze without sacrificing quality, though the noodles may be softer after baking twice. I recommend omitting cheese on the portion that you think you may freeze.
Before freezing, allow the combined ziti to fully cool. Transfer to a freezer-safe container. To thaw, let sit in the refrigerator overnight. (If baking in the same container that the ziti was frozen in, let it sit at room temperature for 20-30 minutes before baking to help prevent thermal shock to the container.) Sprinkle cheese over ziti. Bake at 375 *C for 15-20 minutes uncovered, then bake for another 20 minutes covered. Covering with foil slows down the reheating/baking, but it also helps to prevent the noodles from over-crisping/burning.
FAQs & Tips
Question #1: Why does a ziti recipe use penne?
Ahh, a good question indeed. The only reason that I use penne for a ziti recipe is because whole grain penne is available where I buy groceries. Whole grain ziti is not. If you have ziti on hand, use ziti!
Question #2: So how much food does this make?
This recipes makes about 20 cups of ziti, which is enough for two 9″x13″ pans or a 10″x15″ pan. The 9″x13″ pans would be mostly full, and the 10″x15″ would be filled to the brim! For our family, we usually bake one 9″x13″ and save the leftovers in the fridge. The remaining ziti (the second 9″x13″) is frozen for an easy future meal.
Tip #1: Make sure the pasta is coated with sauce
If the noodles are dry and exposed while baking, they will crisp. A little crisp is okay, but this can easily lead to burned noodles. When coated in sauce, they should not burn.
Tip #2: Chop the carrots to hide them better.
I use shredded carrots in this recipe because that means someone else already put in the effort to chop them. (I understand the carrots were shredded by a machine, but all I care is that I wasn’t the one to shred them because I hate chopping carrots.) However, I will give a few chops to the shredded carrots to reduce their size just a little bit more to make it less likely that my kids will notice them.
Recipe Quick Stats
Cost:
Total Recipe Cost = $ 22.17 · $ 2.22 per serving
Nutrition:
Servings: Recipe makes 10 servings; each serving in 2 cups
Calories: 432 kcal · Total Fat: 13.6 g · Sodium: 847.1 mg · Total Carb: 46.5 g · Dietary Fiber: 8.9 g · Protein: 36.4 g
Listed values for cost and nutrition are estimates only. View how we calculate cost and nutritional data here. View our full cost and nutritional disclaimer here.
Full House Baked Italian Turkey Ziti
Ingredients
- 16 oz Whole Wheat Penne
- 40 oz Ground Turkey
- 1 large White Onion, chopped (~8 oz)
- 10 oz Shredded Carrots (~4 cups)
- ½ tsp Salt
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- 2 clove Garlic, minced
- 1 cup Beef Broth
- 1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
- 28 oz Crushed Tomatoes (1 can)
- 29 oz Fire-Roasted Diced Tomatoes (2 cans)
- 1 tbsp Dried Basil
- 1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
- 8 oz Mozzarella Cheese, shredded (2 cups)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 °F. Mist two 9"x13" baking dishes with non-stick cooking spray. (OR mist only one 9"x13" if saving some of the ziti to be baked later.)
- Cook penne according to package directions. Drain. Set aside.
- Heat a large wok over medium to medium high heat. Cook ground turkey until no longer pink in the middle, and stir to crumble.
- Add onions, carrots, salt, and black pepper. Continue to cook until vegetables begin to soften. Add garlic and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
- Add beef broth, balsamic vinegar, crushed tomatoes, fire-roasted tomatoes, dried basil, and Italian seasoning. Simmer until mixture thickens.
- Add penne to the turkey mixture and stir to combine and evenly coat the penne. Transfer the mixture to the baking dish and top with mozzarella cheese.
- Bake for 30 minutes.