No-Boil Pasta Bake with Ground Turkey
One-dish ground turkey pasta bake that cooks entirely in the oven without pre-boiling pasta. Marinara sauce and water create steam to cook the pasta while it bakes covered, then optional broiling crisps the cheese top. Ready in under an hour with minimal cleanup.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1
Preheat oven to 400 F. Spray bottom and sides of a large 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.
- 2
Preheat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey, stirring often and breaking into small pieces until cooked through. Set aside.
- 3
In the baking dish, combine uncooked pasta, marinara sauce, water, and cooked turkey. Stir and level with a spatula.
- 4
Sprinkle cheese evenly over the mixture. Cover with a smaller piece of parchment paper, then tightly wrap with foil crisscross to seal.
- 5
Bake covered for 30 minutes. Check center pasta for al dente doneness; firm pasta on sides is acceptable.
- 6
Remove from oven and let stand covered for 10-15 minutes.
- 7
If desired, broil until cheese is bubbly and browned.
- 8
Serve hot with side salad and garlic bread. Garnish with parsley if using.
Tips
Do not skip the 10-15 minute rest period after baking; it allows residual heat to finish cooking the pasta and lets cheese set.
Parchment paper barrier prevents foil from contacting the cheese and sauce.
Pasta at the edges cooks faster than the center; checking the middle ensures proper doneness.
Good to Know
Cover and refrigerate up to 3 days. Reheat covered at 350 F until warmed through.
Assemble unbaked dish, cover, and refrigerate up to 8 hours. Increase baking time by 5-10 minutes from chilled state.
Hot, with side salad and garlic bread. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Common Mistakes
Do not skip the rest period to avoid undercooked center pasta and broken cheese texture.
Do not omit the parchment barrier between foil and cheese to avoid metallic taste and discoloration.
Do not leave uncovered while baking to avoid pasta drying out instead of steaming.