Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil (we like Primal Kitchen Avocado Oil)
- 1 lb ground turkey (may substitute ground beef or ground sausage, or use ground Italian sausage and omit the spices below)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced (1 tablespoon)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon fennel seeds, crushed
- ¼ teaspoon ground sage
- ½ teaspoon fine salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- Pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 medium zucchini, sliced into half-moons
- 8 oz rigatoni pasta (use gluten-free, if needed)
- 1 23- to 24-oz jar vodka sauce (we like Primal Kitchen No Dairy Vodka Sauce)*
- 2 cups water or chicken broth
- 3 oz fresh spinach (2 large handfuls)
- Optional garnish: Fresh basil, shaved fresh Parmesan (omit for dairy-free)
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or very large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. When hot, add the ground turkey, garlic, and all of the seasonings (Italian seasoning through crushed red pepper). Cook and stir until the turkey is cooked through and crumbled, 6-8 minutes. If there is excess liquid, it’s not necessary to drain the pan.
- With the heat still on medium-high, add the zucchini, uncooked pasta, vodka sauce, and the liquid (water or broth). TIP: After adding the vodka sauce to the saucepan, pour the 2 cups water or broth into the empty jar and swirl it around to get out any last bits of the pasta sauce, then pour that into the saucepan)**.
- Stir the ingredients in the saucepan so that the pasta is covered with the sauce, then cover the pot and cook for 10-15 minutes, removing the lid to stir the ingredients once or twice.
- After 10 minutes, test a pasta piece to check if it is cooked to your desired doneness. If not, re-cover the pot and cook a few more minutes, as needed.
- When the pasta is cooked to desired doneness, remove the lid and stir in the spinach until it is wilted, about 1 minute.
Notes
Use code REALFOOD20 to save 20% on all Primal Kitchen products (these are our favorites). For this recipe, we recommend using the Primal Kitchen No-Dairy Vodka Sauce.
*May sub 1 (24-oz ounce) jar of regular pasta sauce plus ¼ cup half-and-half or heavy cream for the vodka sauce (not dairy free).
**Primal Kitchen pasta jars have a convenient measure built into the side of the jar. Use that to measure 2 cups of liquid by adding the broth or water directly to the jar, shaking it to get all the pasta sauce still left on the inside of the jar, then pour it all back into the saucepan.
If using gluten-free pasta, you may need to reduce the pasta cooking time to 6 minutes (taste test at 5 minutes and adjust timing until pasta is cooked to desired doneness). We tested with Banza gluten-free rigatoni, and it was al dente at the 6- to 7-minute mark.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size: 1/6 of recipe (about 1 1/2 cups)
- Calories: 380
- Fat: 16 g
- (Sat Fat: 3 g)
- Sodium: 577 mg
- Carbohydrate: 35 g
- (Fiber: 4 g
- Sugar: 7 g)
- Protein: 22 g
- Cholesterol: 53 mg