This is one of those recipes I invented because I was trying to recreate something I can no longer get. In northern Thailand, Chiang Mai specifically, there were a surprising amount of Italian restaurants and most were run by Italians. The result.......delicious Italian food at reasonable prices. One place made a pasta dish with a rose sauce and green bird's eye chillies. It is the one and only dish I ever ordered from there, don't fix what isn't broken eh? This is a version of that dish, hope you like it.
I use ground turkey or chicken but ground beef would be fine as well. Notice all the brown bits on the bottom of the pot. Make sure when you add your tomatoes you scrape off all those brown bits of flavour.
Spicy Penne Bake
1 box of penne pasta
1 medium size zucchini sliced
10 - 12 sliced white mushrooms
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 large can of diced tomatoes
a package or ground turkey or chicken
4 cloves of garlic crushed and diced
1/2 cup of chopped italian parsley
1/2 block of soft cream cheese
1 tbsp of dried oregano
1 medium onion diced
1 1/2 cup of grated mozzarella (or marble)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp of chilli flakes, more if you dare
Couple glugs of olive oil
Boil pot of salted water. When boiling add penne. cook til just before el dente.
While cooking penne, add a couple glugs of olive oil to a big sauce pan and heat up. When hot add onions and garlic, don't brown but cook til translucent, about 5 mins. Add a little salt and pepper while sweating the onions and garlic. Add the ground turkey or chicken and fry til almost cooked. In a separate pan, heat another 2tbsp of olive oil fry mushrooms til brown and set aside. Add another tbsp of oil and add zucchini slices> Brown on both sides and remove when done.
Back to the big sauce pan, add the chilli flakes and oregano. Stir to combine. Add the cans of tomatoes and stir well. Begin to add the cream cheese in little blobs you pull off with your fingers. Continue until all has been added and stir to combine. It will take about 10 - 15 mins for the cream cheese to melt, so stir every once in a while. Add more salt and pepper to taste and more oregano or/ and chilli flakes if necessary. Add cooked pasta to the sauce. Remove from heat and add parsley. Pour into a large casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake in 350 oven for 30 mins.
1 box of penne pasta
1 medium size zucchini sliced
10 - 12 sliced white mushrooms
1 large can of crushed tomatoes
1 large can of diced tomatoes
a package or ground turkey or chicken
4 cloves of garlic crushed and diced
1/2 cup of chopped italian parsley
1/2 block of soft cream cheese
1 tbsp of dried oregano
1 medium onion diced
1 1/2 cup of grated mozzarella (or marble)
salt and pepper to taste
1 tsp of chilli flakes, more if you dare
Couple glugs of olive oil
Boil pot of salted water. When boiling add penne. cook til just before el dente.
While cooking penne, add a couple glugs of olive oil to a big sauce pan and heat up. When hot add onions and garlic, don't brown but cook til translucent, about 5 mins. Add a little salt and pepper while sweating the onions and garlic. Add the ground turkey or chicken and fry til almost cooked. In a separate pan, heat another 2tbsp of olive oil fry mushrooms til brown and set aside. Add another tbsp of oil and add zucchini slices> Brown on both sides and remove when done.
Back to the big sauce pan, add the chilli flakes and oregano. Stir to combine. Add the cans of tomatoes and stir well. Begin to add the cream cheese in little blobs you pull off with your fingers. Continue until all has been added and stir to combine. It will take about 10 - 15 mins for the cream cheese to melt, so stir every once in a while. Add more salt and pepper to taste and more oregano or/ and chilli flakes if necessary. Add cooked pasta to the sauce. Remove from heat and add parsley. Pour into a large casserole dish and top with cheese. Bake in 350 oven for 30 mins.
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