Gluten Free Pasta Bake with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce (High Protein)
Add this Gluten Free Pasta Bake with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce to your dinner lineup! This comforting yet nourishing dish features ground turkey, chickpea pasta and a creamy, homemade roasted red pepper sauce for some smoky, spicy flavor. Each serving is loaded with 36g of protein, making this the perfect healthy and satisfying meal.
Equipment
- large pan
- large pot
- spatula
- high-speed blender or food processor
- 9x13" baking dish
Ingredients
For the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce:
- 2 tsp avocado or olive oil
- ½ large yellow onion diced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- kosher salt to taste
- ¾ tsp red pepper flakes (adjust to your spice preference)
- 16 oz cottage cheese (4% preferred)
- 16 oz jar of roasted red peppers drained
For the Pasta Bake:
- 1 lb Banza rigatoni *
- 1 lb ground turkey (94% lean)
- 1 tsp italian seasoning
- kosher salt to taste
- black pepper to taste
- 1 ½ cups low-moisture, part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
Optional Garnish:
- chopped basil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once it's almost boiling, heavily salt the water. Then, add the pasta and cook for about 1-2 minutes less than the package instructions. Drain and rinse with cold water.kosher salt, 1 lb Banza rigatoni
- While the pasta is cooking, bring a large pan to medium-low heat. Then, add oil. Once hot, add the onion and season with kosher salt. Sauté, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes or until starting to turn translucent.2 tsp avocado or olive oil, ½ large yellow onion, kosher salt
- Add in garlic and tomato paste. Use the back of the spatula to smoosh the tomato paste and combine it with the onion and garlic. Let that cook, stirring occasionally, for about 3 minutes until the tomato paste has darkened in color.3 tbsp tomato paste, 3 garlic cloves
- Deglaze with a few splashes of water (or broth) to scrape the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Transfer this to your blender or food processor along with the remaining sauce ingredients. Season with additional kosher salt & black pepper. Blend until smooth and creamy.kosher salt, ¾ tsp red pepper flakes, 16 oz cottage cheese, 16 oz jar of roasted red peppers, black pepper
- Bring the same large pan up to medium heat. Once hot, add the ground turkey and break it apart with your spatula. Season with italian seasoning, kosher salt & black pepper. Continue cooking and breaking apart until done through.1 lb ground turkey, 1 tsp italian seasoning, black pepper, kosher salt
- Transfer the cooked ground turkey, cooked pasta and roasted red pepper sauce to the large pot that you boiled the pasta in. Stir everything with the spatula until combined.
- Spread half of the pasta mixture into the bottom of the baking dish. Then, layer on half of the mozzarella and parmesan. Spread the remaining pasta on top and finally sprinkle the rest of the cheese evenly on top.1 ½ cups low-moisture, part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese, ½ cup finely shredded parmesan cheese
- Transfer baking dish to the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until everything is warm and the cheese has melted. Garnish with fresh chopped basil and black pepper...enjoy!chopped basil
Video
Notes
*NOTE: Feel free to substitute your preferred brand of gluten free (or regular) pasta - rigatoni & ziti are the best shapes for this though. Nutrition info listed below will not be accurate if you use anything other than Banza.
Nutrition
Calories: 447kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 1302mg | Potassium: 381mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 749IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 295mg | Iron: 2mg