Turkey and Arugula Rigatoni
Ground turkey and arugula rigatoni tossed in a garlic parmesan cream sauce. I have no words for this one... one of my favorite pasta dishes.I'll admit, I'm not a huge pasta girl. I love it, but I rarely really crave it and don't make it that often. But one of my friend's mom makes a turkey and arugula rigatoni dish and it's soooo good! I love the super garlicky cream sauce over the big rigatoni pasta and the the arugula that adds freshness. The use of turkey is great too instead of using pork or beef. I know you'll love this dish and the fact tat you can make it in about 20 minutes.
What you need:
Rigatoni: The short, thick pasta is the perfect one to use for this dish.
Ground turkey: You could of course omit the meat or use ground chicken instead!
Arugula: I love the taste of arugula and the freshness it brings, but you could use baby kale or spinach!
Garlic: I use four cloves to get this pasta sauce super garlicky, but if you're sensitive to garlic start off with two or three.
Roux: Butter and flour mixture to make the sauce thick.
Milk and Parmesan: Adds the creaminess and saltiness to the sauce.
Pasta water: The hack I never knew I needed! Saving the starchy pasta will gives you the chance to loosen up a sauce while still keeping it thick.
What to do:
I love this recipe because you can cook everything at the same time. While the pasta is boiling you can cook the turkey and while the pasta and turkey are finishing up, you can start your cream sauce. The butter and garlic are cooked and the flour is added to make the roux. The milk and cheese are added to help thicken the sauce and it's ready! Then everything just gets tossed together.Enjoy!!
Turkey and Arugula Rigatoni
Ground turkey, arugula and rigatoni tossed in a garlic parmesan sauce.
1 16 oz. box of rigatoni pasta
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 lb turkey
4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tbsp butter
3 1/2 tbsp flour
1 cup milk
3/4 cup cheese
3-4 cups arugula
1/2 cup pasta water
Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to the instructions on the box.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Cook the turkey until there is no more pink, salt and pepper.
While the pasta is boiling and the turkey is cooking, heat the butter over medium heat in a seperate pan. Add the garlic and cook for two minutes. Whisk in the flour until there are no more clumps and it becomes thick. Cook for one minute. Whisk in the milk until incorporated. You can add more milk depending how thick/thin you prefer your sauce. Add the cheese. Check for salt and pepper.
Drain the pasta, but reserve 1/2 cup of pasta water in a cup. Add the pasta back in the pot and add the turkey. Stir in the cream sauce and arugula. Use some of the pasta water to loosen the sauce, as much as you want.
