So Christmas spirit has hit the Muddy Kitchen Floor as you may have guessed by our change in background, change in header and the new widget of snow falling.  If there was a way I could get a 3D sparkly Christmas tree on there I would!  I may experiment with soundcloud later to add some Christmas “Musak” to the site as well, though, I have to admit, I don’t like it when I go on a website and music suddenly starts.  It unnerves me a little.

December also heralds my Turkey obsession.  During most of the year, I ignore the humble turkey, but come December, when I know that on the 25th I will be cooking 2 or 3 Turkey Crowns for the main event, I start craving turkey.  Tonight, we had the Triple T, a Turkey, Tomato and Turmeric pasta bake.

This pasta bake is so easy to make, it serves 4 very generous portions, and is extremely tasty.  I also experimented tonight and tried a one pot pasta bake.  To do this you will need a large frying pan or casserole dish that can be placed on the hob which can cook enough dried pasta for 4 servings.  Use any pasta shapes you like, I used Penne pasta tonight.  Bring water to the boil in your pan, add salt to taste, add the pasta shapes and then cook for about 8 minutes.  Drain, and set to one side.

Dry out your pan, add 1 thinly sliced onion, some olive oil and set over a low heat.  Stir until the onions start to soften, sprinkle over some mixed dried herbs, and a teaspoon of Turmeric.  Add 1 packet of Diced Turkey Thigh, and cook until the turkey has browned.  Now, tip in one tin of chopped tomatoes, I used Sainsbury’s tinned cherry tomatoes, and 1 packet of Passata with garlic and basil.  Cover and leave to simmer for about 10 minutes.

Stir in some Philadelphia Sweet Chili Cream Cheese, about 1/4 of a packet, simmer uncovered for about 5 minutes.

Tip the pasta into the pan, stir until combined, then nothing goes better with pasta, meat, and tomato sauce than a generous covering of grated cheese!  Smother the top with cheese, then place under a hot high grill until the cheese has browned.

While under the grill, the pasta will soak up the sauce and the whole thing will set a little like a lasagna.

It’s a real store cupboard dinner, cheap, easy and gives you that pre Christmas Dinner Turkey fix!

Happy Cooking