When I’m too lazy to cook, I put together a simple pasta recipe. On this day, I used ground turkey that was thawed with the intention of making meatloaf. At the last-minute, I decided I wanted a quick meal that didn’t require cooking side dishes. So I came with this gluten-free ground turkey and rotini dish.

Ingredients:

1 pound of ground turkey (or ground chicken)

4 to 5 white top mushrooms

1 small green bell pepper

1 to 2 carrots

3 cloves of garlic

1 small onion

1 cup of rotini (gluten-free)

1 jar of Bertolli tomato & basil pasta sauce

Green olives (to taste)

Extra virgin olive oil

1 to 2 tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce

1 teaspoon of Balsamic vinegar

1 bay leaf

Seasonings:

Celtic sea salt, Lawry’s seasoning salt, garlic powder, ground black pepper, basil, oregano, parsley, Mrs. Dash seasonings.

Secret ingredient: Chinese Five Spice which is a combination of cinnamon, star anise, fennel, cloves, ginger, licorice, Szechuan peppercorn and white pepper. Less is more. It’s a nice background note in the dish.

Directions:

In a pan, drizzle olive oil and brown the ground turkey. Add onions, bell pepper, mushrooms, carrots, and garlic. Season with a dash of Lawry’s seasoning salt and pepper. Let the mixture cook until the vegetables have broken down. Pour in the Bertolli pasta sauce.

I don’t like to waste pasta sauce, so I always pour about one or two tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, a teaspoon of Balsamic vinegar and a dash of water into the empty Bertolli jar. Put the lid on and swish the mixture around and then pour it into the pan. Blend everything together and add sea salt, pepper, Mrs. Dash, basil, oregano, parsley, garlic powder and a pinch of Chinese five spice. Add the olives, give everything a good mix and turn the heat down to low. Let the flavors meld together while preparing the rotini.

Once the rotini is done, add it to the pasta mixture. Toss in the cilantro and blend together. You can serve with cut green onion on top with Parmesan cheese. For a little heat, add your favorite hot sauce.

Stay blessed,

Barbie