Turkey Lasiatori

Ok, so A: radiatori is pasta shaped sort of like a radiator. And secondly, Lasagne + Radiatori = Lasiatori. Though I am definitely a fan of lasagne, I am not a fan of the messy work that goes into making one. So, I often take leftover spaghetti and make something I call “lasketti”. Really all I do is put the cold spaghetti in a buttered casserole dish and top it with a bit of cheese sauce. Then, instead of leftovers we are having stupid easy lasagne… which incidentally was my first choice in naming this dish. Anyway, I saw the radiatori at the store and thought it would make a nice sauce holding alternative to spaghetti noodles, and be less trouble than the lasagne sheets I sometimes smashed up and used in a similar fashion. As it turns out, it was a very nice sauce holding alternative.

Ingredients

• 2 TBSP of Olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 16 oz/455g ground/minced turkey
• 1 TBSP finely diced or minced garlic
• 8oz/250g sliced mushrooms
• 4oz/125ml red wine (optional – see Notes)
• 1 x 16 oz/455g canned diced tomatoes
• 1 x 16 oz/455g can tomato sauce
• 1 generous tsp Italian seasonings
• 1 generous tsp Oregano
• 1 generous tsp basil
• Salt & Pepper to taste
• 16 oz/455g radiator, cooked according to the package directions (leave them slightly undercooked for the best results)
• 12 ounces/350ml of milk
• 2 TBSP cornstarch (EU cornflour)
• 1/4 tsp of kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp of white (or black) pepper
• 8 ounces of grated mozzarella cheese
• 2 ounces of freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Heat a large heavy pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil, then the onions. Cook and stir for 5 minutes.
2. Add the turkey, stirring and breaking it up as it cooks. When the turkey is just cooked through, add the mushrooms.
3. Fry the mushrooms just until they start to give up their juices, then add the wine, and scrape up any bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the canned tomatoes with their juice, the tomato sauce, the herbs and season with salt & pepper. Stir well and bring to a boil, turn down till just simmering and allow to simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. While the sauce is simmering, prepare the pasta according to the directions on the package, except undercook them by a few minutes so they are still a little raw in the middle. A little more so than just “al dente”.
6. When the sauce has simmered for 15 minutes, and the pasta is cooked, combine the two and set aside.
7. Preheat the oven to 350f and butter a large baking or casserole dish.
8. In a large microwavable bowl or measuring jug, whisk together the milk and cornstarch.
9. Microwave the milk mixture for 3 minutes at 50% power, remove and whisk.
10. Return to the microwave and cook at 70% powder for 1 minute. Remove, whisk and repeat this process until the mixture is thickened.
11. Add all the cheese and whisk until completely melted and smooth. Return the mixture to the microwave for 20 seconds on full powder if you need to.
12. Put the pasta in the buttered dish and smooth it out as best you can before pouring over the cheese sauce.
13. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the top is browned and bubbly.
14. Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 Servings

Notes

• HERE is the Wikipedia link to the pasta shape —-> 
• You can add mushrooms in with the onions if you like. I sometimes leave them out depending on whom I will be feeding.
• You can substitute the wine with two tablespoons of red wine vinegar and 6 tablespoons of water.
• This can be made several days in advance and kept tightly covered in the refrigerator. Place into a cold oven, heat the oven to 350f and cook for 45 to 60 minutes, or until piping hot throughout.
• This can be frozen for up to 2 months. Defrost in the refrigerator for 24 hours and then follow the refrigerated cooking directions above.