the one where I make a really bad metaphor using vegetables

In case you hadn't noticed, I'm not exactly a "food blogger." Unless, of course, by "food blogger" you mean "someone who really loves food and blogs about it in a totally uneducated, unhelpful way, ie: Mexican food is sooooo gooood nom nom nom, or I neeeeeeeed chocolate NOWWWWWWWWW," in which case I am definitely a food blogger. But for real. Today I'm going to go all food blogger on you. Because last night I cooked something that was really good! And you might like it! And I took a picture of it! And then someone actually requested that I share the recipe (I'm not lying, go look at the comments to see for yourself)! 

Allow me to introduce you to Penne with Turkey & Broccolini, from Every Day with Rachael Ray's April 2012 issue.

I picked this recipe for a few reasons: 1) It looked good. 2) It did not have 10,000 ingredients. 3) Actually, I had all of the ingredients on hand except for the broccolini. 4) "Broccolini"? If that doesn't sound like the cutest thing ever, I don't know what does. I was compelled to try it.

In case your deduction skills aren't as awesome as mine, let me help you out: broccolini is basically cute, tiny little skinny broccoli. If a regular broccoli had a one-night-stand with an asparagus and then they had a malnourished child, this would be the result. You like that? You're welcome. OH, but then the asparagus and broccoli would sell their malnourished child for like double the price of the parents, but whatever. People (or vegetables, as the case may be) are just gonna do what they're just gonna do. I try not to judge. Unless you're choosing to use a feeding tube as a means of losing weight, in which case I will judge you pretty hardcore. But that's another story. Back to food blogging!  

So this recipe was pretty easy, did not require any special skills or frantic Googling mid-recipe (NOT true of all RR recipes, I promise), and turned out really well! Bonus fact: the recipe claims to be four servings. I usually take the estimated number of servings with a grain of salt, since Matt and I frequently polish off a "four serving" meal with no problems...and no leftovers...and no extra people helping us eat...but anyway, this one actually does seem to be about FOUR SERVINGS, since we had at least half of it left over. Sweet!

See, Matt really liked it!

 So here's the recipe. In true "food blogger" fashion, I'll put my own comments/additions/thoughts right alongside the recipe. You're welcome!


Penne with Turkey & Broccolini (from Every Day with Rachael Ray, April 2012)

-3/4 lb. penne (I used whole wheat)
-1/4 cup EVOO
-1 bunch broccolini (9 oz.), tough ends trimmed, stalks and florets chopped into 1-inch pieces (There's a note on the page that says if you can't find broccolini, feel free to use regular broccoli florets. I would also think asparagus would be good...see metaphor above.)
 -Salt and pepper
-1 onion, chopped
-2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
-1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper (I used this amount and the dish definitely had a little heat. I liked it (and I'm not a fan of terribly spicy things), but if you're really sensitive to spiciness, definitely use a little less)
-1 lb. ground turkey, preferably dark meat (I think mine was 85/15; it worked)

1. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the penne until al dente, 11 to 13 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of the pasta cooking water.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, add 2 tbsp. EVOO over medium-high heat. Add the broccolini and season with salt and pepper. Stir in 2 tbsp. water, cover and cook until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl.
3. Lower the heat to medium, add the remaining EVOO and the onion and cook until soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Push the onion to the side of the pan, increase the heat to medium-high and crumble in the turkey; season. Cook, stirring, until the meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
4. Add the pasta, broccolini, and three-quarters of the reserved pasta water to the turkey; toss well. Add the remaining pasta water if needed to thin the sauce. 

 
 I served it with roasted Brussels sprouts (new fave) and there were happy bellies all around!