Pasta with a Twist

Have I mentioned that I LOVE pasta?  I think 75% of my recipes in my FB Notes are pasta dishes.  Needless to say, we used to eat a lot of pasta.  Since then, I've toned down my pasta eating tremendously.  In fact, we have it so rarely now that my little darlings simply light up when it's on the table.  You've heard all the talk about carbs and how we need to cut back.  Whole wheat pasta is the only thing I serve these days, but we still eat it in smalll portions.  That's what I love about this recipe.  You use carrots cut into long slivers with a vegetable peeler to fill out your pasta serving.  So great and so full of nutrients.  (yes, I know carrots have carbs, too, but it's all relative)

I found this wonderful recipe in the September issue of Good Housekeeping and tweaked it ever so slightly.  I also love this dish because it cooks up in one big pot and as the head chef and chief bottle washer, that means less clean up in the kitchen.  I love the unusual flavors, too.  This is not a traditional Italian pasta dish and I think you and your family are going to really enjoy it.

I loved the carrots cooked in with the pasta! 
Easy, colorful, and inventive...

Linguini with
Carrot Turkey Ragu

INGREDIENTS

• Salt and Pepper
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 large leek, white and light green parts only, sliced and well rinsed
• 2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• 1 lb. lean ground turkey breast
• 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 2 cans diced tomatoes (I used the kind with garlic and onions because I am all about the flavor, aren't you?)
• 1 lb. carrots
• 8 oz.  (READ your package!) whole wheat linguini
• 1 T. chopped fresh parsley

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat a 5-quart pasta pot of water to boiling on high.  Add 2 tsp. of salt.
2. In a large non-stick skillet, heat oil on medium high heat.  Add leek, celery, garlic and 1/8 tsp. each salt and freshly ground pepper.  (I just eyeball the salt and pepper and am certain I added more than a piddley little 1/8 tsp.)  Cook 5 minutes, or until just tender.
3. Add turkey, cook 4 minutes or unitl meat is no longer pink, stirring and breaking into small pieces.  Stir in cinnamon and cook2 minutes.  Stir in tomatoes, heat to boiling, then reduce heat to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, with the vegetable peeler, shave carrots into thin ribbons. 
5. Add pasta to boiling water.  Cook 1 minute LESS than the package instructions.  Add carrots to pasta and cook 1 minute.  Drain and return to pot, large skillet or big serving dish.  Add turkey ragu, 1/4 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. fresh ground pepper.  Stir gently until well mixed.  Top with parsley.

This was a great dish to make on a busy night when we were running in different directions.  It held well for the one coming late to dinner.  I just put the lid on the skillet and left it on the stove, turned it on warm just a few minutes before she arrived home and it was ready to serve when she walked in the door.