042 / 75 · Chicken, Turkey and Fish Suppers
Turkey and Pumpkin Sage Bake
One 9×13 in (23×33 cm) dish, at least 3.5 qt/3.3 L;6 main-dish portions · Active 35 min · Total 1 hr 35 min
Print recipe · PDFPlain pumpkin purée makes an orange sauce for ground turkey, small pasta shells and chopped kale. Sage gives it a savory direction, with a small amount of Parmesan and a late scattering of hazelnuts. Check the can carefully: sweet pumpkin pie filling is a different ingredient and does not belong in this supper.
The pumpkin supplies body, not dessert flavor
Choose plain unsweetened pumpkin purée. Its thickness varies, but the measured stock and milk loosen it into a sauce that can coat pasta rather than sit in a heavy mound. No sugar or sweet spice blend is added. Sage is softened briefly with the onion and turkey before the pumpkin goes in, so it reaches the whole filling. Kale stems are removed and the leaves cut small; they need a covered softening stage with the stock before the thick purée arrives.
A small shell still needs boiling
Cook the pasta two minutes short of its packet time and drain before folding it into the sauce. Dry shells would absorb the pumpkin sauce unevenly and could leave a tight uncooked center. Keep the mixture warm and moist when it goes into the wide dish. Ground turkey is checked at 165°F in the skillet, then the assembled bake is checked again at the same endpoint. Parmesan goes in after the heat is off so it disperses through the sauce rather than forming hard specks on the skillet bottom.
Hazelnuts finish rather than hide the surface
Use ready-roasted unsalted hazelnuts and chop them roughly. A small amount goes across the top for the last five minutes, enough for contrast without replacing the meal with a thick nut crust. Watch the exposed pieces and shield loosely if needed while the center finishes. Tell guests about the nuts: they are part of the base recipe even though they are not in the short title. The individual shell shapes, orange sauce and dark kale should remain visible after serving.
Ingredients
- 7 oz dry small pasta shells (200 g)
- 10 cups water (2.4 L), for pasta
- 1 tablespoon olive oil (15 ml)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped (150 g)
- 1 lb 5 oz ground turkey (600 g)
- 6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped (2 g)
- 5 oz kale leaves, tough stems removed, finely chopped (150 g prepared)
- 3/4 cup low-sodium chicken stock (180 ml)
- 1 can plain unsweetened pumpkin purée (14 oz/400 g)
- 1/2 cup milk (120 ml)
- 1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan (30 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon fine salt (1.5 g)
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/4 cup roasted unsalted hazelnuts, roughly chopped (30 g)
Set out
Oven, 9×13 in (23×33 cm) baking dish, at least 3.5 qt/3.3 L, Large pasta saucepan, 12-in/30-cm deep skillet with lid, Colander, Rimmed baking sheet, Suitable foil if needed, Food thermometer
Allergens
Wheat, Milk, Tree nuts: hazelnuts; check pasta for egg and stock for celery or other allergens. Check labels and substitutions.
Make it
- Heat oven to 400°F (205°C). Put the dish on a rimmed sheet and bring pasta water to a boil. Heat oil in the skillet over medium heat. Cook onion 7–9 minutes until soft, add turkey and cook 8–10 minutes over medium-high heat, breaking it up, until several places reach 165°F (74°C).
- Add sage and stir 30 seconds. Add kale and stock, cover and simmer 4 minutes. Uncover and cook 2–3 minutes until leaves are tender. Stir in pumpkin, milk, salt and pepper and simmer 3–4 minutes until smooth and steaming. Take off the heat and stir in Parmesan.
- Meanwhile boil shells 2 minutes short of their packet time, drain and fold into warm filling. Spread in the dish and bake 20 minutes.
- Scatter chopped roasted hazelnuts and bake 5–10 minutes more until the center and several other points reach 165°F (74°C). Shield nuts loosely if needed while the middle finishes.
- Rest 5 minutes and divide into six portions.
Read the pumpkin label before opening
Plain purée has pumpkin without a sweet pie mixture. Buying the right can is part of the savory recipe, not a small detail that extra salt can correct later.
A useful detail
The 95-minute total includes kale preparation, the full turkey and sauce stages, overlapping pasta boiling, up to 30 minutes baking and rest. Pumpkin is plain purée, not sweetened pie filling.
Another way
- For a topping without hazelnuts, omit them and add 30 g coarse fresh breadcrumbs tossed with 2 teaspoons/10 ml olive oil for the final 10 minutes. The pasta already contains wheat; check all labels for the intended eaters.
Keep it well
Refrigerate shallow portions within 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C), at 40°F (4°C) or below. Use within 3 days or an earlier ingredient deadline. Reheat to 165°F (74°C), adding a little water if the pasta has thickened the sauce. Freeze promptly cooled portions for up to 1 month for quality; thaw in the refrigerator. Nuts soften after storage.