Dinner recipe
Turkey and red lentil pasta bake with tomato, spinach, garlic, and a cheddar crust for batch-friendly comfort.
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Ingredients
35 × 25cm 4l ovenproof dish, 30cm 4l saute pan, 4l pasta saucepan and colander, 2l lentil saucepan and fine sieve, three hob rings, scales, measuring jug and clean probe thermometer, knife, board and grater
Method
For more than four servings, repeat batches of no more than four. Divide displayed ingredients and measured method totals between batches; keep cut sizes, pan sizes and per-batch times fixed, and allow extra elapsed time. Heat oven to 200°C conventional/180°C fan. Finely dice onion, crush garlic and rinse dry lentils. Chop spinach and grate cheddar. Keep raw turkey chilled until cooking.
Put all rinsed dry red split lentils and 600ml water in a 2l saucepan. Bring to the boil and boil 10 minutes, then simmer 15 minutes until tender, following your packet if longer. Drain through a fine sieve. Keep aside for the sauce; do not add dry lentils directly to tomato.
Bring 2000ml water to a boil in a 4l saucepan. Add all dry penne and boil 10–12 minutes or to the packet until just tender. Drain well and discard water. Start the sauce while the pasta cooks.
Heat a 30cm 4l pan over medium-high heat. Divide turkey into two equal batches, no more than 200g each, and divide 5ml olive oil between them. Cook each 6–8 minutes, breaking into small crumbs, until no pink remains and a clean probe reads 75°C for 30 seconds in the thickest clumps; continue cooking and recheck if needed. Transfer to a clean bowl. Heat remaining 10ml olive oil over medium heat and cook all onion 8–10 minutes until softened. Add all garlic for 1 minute. Add all passata and simmer 15 minutes, stirring, until it coats a spoon.
Add all spinach to the sauce and stir 3 minutes until wilted. Return all cooked turkey and its juices, and fold in drained lentils and penne. Transfer all mixture to the 35 × 25cm 4l dish, spreading no deeper than 3cm; use a second dish if needed.
Scatter all cheddar on top. Bake 15–20 minutes until lightly golden, bubbling and steaming hot in the centre. Rest 3 minutes before dividing equally between the intended servings.
