Dino Kale and Turkey Manicotti

I forget why, but I've had manicotti shells in my cupboard since.....I don't even know when (and you probably don't want to know either). That aside, it IS dried pasta after all, so it's harmless. There are two key motives for this recipe - 1. to finally make use of my manicotti shells, and 2. to use up some of the fresh crisp dino kale. Manicotti is often made with a simple ricotta and spinach mixture, but I like meat with my pasta, and I my box gave me kale - not spinach. Since kale doesn't wilt as much as spinach does, the key to making the little green specs is to finely chop up the big leafy greens before cooking it. Otherwise, you'll pull out a big piece of kale when cutting into it. Don't let the ugly photo fool you - it turned out amazing.


12 Manicotti Shells (Usually comes in one box)
1 Tbs olive oil
1 lb ground turkey
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
1.5 tsp italian seasoning
Salt & Pepper to taste
1.5 - 2 cups of finely chopped kale
1.5 cups of ricotta cheese
1 Jar (26 oz) of marinara sauce
1/3 cup of shredded mozzarella

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F. Boil a big pot of water w/ salt - cook the manicotti shells until just under al dente. There should still be bit of a bite to it, but still pliable. Set the pasta aside and let cool.

While the pasta is cooking, chop the onion and garlic and saute for 2 minutes in a pan with the olive oil. Add in turkey, salt, pepper and italian seasoning and cook until turkey is lightly golden brown. Throw in the chopped kale and saute for another 3-4 minutes. Put the turkey/kale mixture in a large mixing bowl and let cool slightly. Mix in ricotta cheese.

Pour a thin layer of marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9x13 in. pan (about 1/3 of the jar). Once the pasta is cool enough to handle, stuff them with the turkey/kale/ricotta mixture, and line them up in the pan. Once the pan is full, pour the rest of the marinara sauce over the top and sprinkle with mozzarella cheese. Bake, covered w/ foil, for 30 minutes or until sauce is boiling. Remove foil and return to the oven until the cheese is golden brown. Serve warm.