Turkey and Charred Vegetable Ragu Pasta Bake

This is another super simple pasta bake recipe perfect for a quick mid-week meal - ideal for working parents or those who's little ones have gone back to school this week. 

For me this is a cheat pasta sauce too - I was making my Thomasina  Mier's Fruity Chilli for me and Glen this evening, which is a little too spicy for the girls, and basically made extra for the basis of the sauce which is a load of charred vegetables - tomatoes, onion, peppers and garlic blitzed to a fine sauce and added a little here and there to jazz it up. It went down an absolute treat with both of my girls this evening. We've started having turkey mince a lot too instead of our usual steak or pork, as it's leaner, cheaper and we genuinely like the taste, 

I added a carrot into the blitzing stage of the sauce too, which will add a little sweetness and a little extra vegetable too which is completely disguised! It's a great toddler meal but also good for the weaning stage - you could of course blitz it up or if you're following the baby led weaning route, it's a great finger food as the fusilli is easy to hold, and just spoon-feed or offer loaded spoons with the remaining meat and sauce mixture.

Turkey and Charred Vegetable Ragu Pasta Bake

The below is enough for 3 toddler meals.

Here's how:

• 60g turkey mince
• 2 tomatoes
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 red or green pepper
• 1 carrot
• Drizzle olive oil
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tbsp tomato puree
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 4 close cup mushrooms
• 75g fusilli 
• Little grating of hard cheese such as Cheddar

Firstly switch the oven onto 200 degrees, and cut the tomatoes and pepper in half, and peel and quarter the onion, and peel the garlic. Drizzle over a little olive oil, and scatter over some dried oregano.Place all into a baking tray or dish and into the oven for 20 minutes or until nicely charred on the outside, remove from the oven and allow to cool.

Now cook the pasta according to the pack instructions, and drain and set aside.

In the meantime, drizzle the olive oil into a pan, and place on a medium heat. Cook the turkey mince in the oil, and season with black pepper. Use a wooden spatula to turn the mince over and cook all over.

Finely chop the mushroom at this stage - my Bridget 'doesn't like mushrooms' when she can see them, but miraculously eats them all up when they're not visible. 

Now place the charred vegetables into a blender or a Nutribullet  alongside the peeled carrot and blitz - depending on your blender you may need to chop or grate your carrot, I just threw mine into the Nutribullet. Pour this sauce over the turkey mince and add the water, cinnamon and a little more oregano. Allow to cook for twenty minutes on a medium heat to allow the spice to cook out.

Now add the pasta to the sauce mixture and stir well to ensure all is evenly coated. Pour the pasta into an ovenproof dish and scatter over the cheese before placing into the hot oven. Allow to cook for twenty minutes until the cheese is melted and there is a golden brown colour. Enjoy!