Skillet Turkey Alfredo

Wednesday 23 June 2021

Skillet Turkey Alfredo 






Skillet Turkey Alfredo.  I really love skillet meals like this delicious one pan pasta dish which makes great use of leftovers and store cupboard ingredients.



I love these type of dishes for several reasons.  One, they help me to use up my leftovers in a really delicious way.  Secondly, I almost always have everything I need to make them in my cupboards, larder or refrigerator. 



Skillet Turkey Alfredo 







Thirdly, I love that they are no fuss and no muss. Everything cooks in the same pan, even the pasta.



They are so easy to throw together and are usually very quickly cooked as well.  They are also really easy to reduce, or small-batch into recipes which feed only one or two people, which is exactly what I did today.



Skillet Turkey Alfredo
 







Not only that, but they are usually quite adaptable.  For instance you can use either cooked turkey in this dish, or you can also use cooked chicken, or even cubed cooked ham.  All are equally delicious! 



I had cooked a turkey breast at the weekend and wanted to use it up and this was the perfect way to do just that!  Perfectly cooked pasta, plenty of turkey, a creamy sauce, some pasta and one of your five a day.  You can't beat it.  




Skillet Turkey Alfredo 





Oh and lets not forget the bacon!  Doesn't everything with bacon taste better?  I dare say it does.  I have yet to find a food that doesn't go with, or taste better with bacon!



I always have bacon in my freezer.  Sometimes I will cook the whole package and then freeze it, ready to take cooked slices out to use in recipes, sandwiches, etc.  Or other times I will just freeze the bacon in individual slices.



Skillet Turkey Alfredo 






How I do this is I take each slice of bacon and coil it into a roll and place it onto a baking sheet.  I pop it into the freezer and once it is frozen solid, I transfer all of the rolls into a thick freezer bag.  They do not stick together in the bag and are very easily chopped from frozen.



Have you ever tried to chop bacon that isn't frozen or cooked?  VERY difficult. I promise you if you do this, you will have a problem chopping it no more!



Skillet Turkey Alfredo 





It took me no time at all today to chop and cook my bacon for this recipe. No time at all.  



I love recipes where the pasta cooks right in the sauce.  They are so easy and you don't have to dirty up an extra pan cooking the pasta.  They always cook to perfection and having absorbed some of the cooking liquor, the pasta always tastes great! 





Skillet Turkey Alfredo 






I have used fusilli here, but you can use penne, or any other similar type of pasta in the same quantity. It cooks right in the sauce.  You only need to cook it to al dente, well actually about a minute short of al dente.



Most good pastas will tell you on the bag the required amount of time to cook their product to al dente.  Mine was Garofalo Fusilli, and it said 11 minutes to al dente, so I cooked it for 10.  



Skillet Turkey Alfredo 






The pasta cooks in the mixture of cream and stock, along with some onions and garlic.  This gives it a really nice flavor.



Once the pasta has cooked, it is time to add the turkey, cooked bacon, some frozen peas and some cheese into the mix.



Skillet Turkey Alfredo 






Then you heat the dish through for a further two to three minutes. Long enough to melt the cheese, heat everything through, thaw the peas, etc.  You will have pasta perfection.



The sauce may seem a little bit loose, but don't worry, it thickens up nicely upon standing.



Skillet Turkey Alfredo 





Do try to grate your own cheese for this dish.  Use a good Parmesan. Not the stuff in the green tube or pre-grated cheese.  They add things to those products to help them flow easier.



This can mess with the integrity of your dish.  They can give a granular result which you won't find very appealing.



Skillet Turkey Alfredo 




Also be very judicious when adding salt to the dish.  Bacon is a salty ingredient, so is Parmesan cheese.  You may not need much salt if any.


Plenty of pepper is okay though. I do so love plenty of pepper.



Skillet Turkey Alfredo 






I adore frozen peas.  I only ever buy the petit/baby frozen peas. They are always perfect.  I find that when you buy the larger peas you can often get starchy or wooden textured peas in the mix and I hate that.



I am not a huge fan of peas that come from the tin, or that are old and woody textured. When we were children my mother found a dead cricket in the bottom of a can of peas once.  That put me off of eating tinned peas altogether. 



Skillet Turkey Alfredo 






I thought I hated peas until I tasted frozen ones at a Girl Guide Banquet once.  The armed forces base I lived on had put on a turkey dinner for the mothers and daughters and there was frozen peas on the plate. 



I remember being quite amazed at how bright green and delicious they were.  They converted me back to liking peas. Well, at least frozen baby peas at any rate!  (Yes, I am a bit fussy I know!  But I like what I like!)



Skillet Turkey Alfredo







I really hope that you will be encouraged to try this quick, easy and delicious one pan meal for two and soon!  I think you will find it really tasty and it is sure to become a firm favorite in your repertoire. 



If you are wanting to feed more than two, simply double the ingredients to serve 4, triple to serve 6.  The cook timings will stay the same.



A nice salad is excellent on the side of this and I would never turn down a slice of garlic bread or crusty bread is offered one!  Leftovers never tasted so good!! Bon Appetit!

 

Skillet Turkey Alfredo

Skillet Turkey Alfredo

Yield: 2
Author: Marie Rayner
Prep time: 5 MinCook time: 17 Mininactive time: 5 MinTotal time: 27 Min
Meals such as this simple, quick skillet meal are my favorites. Everything cooks all together in one pan. No fuss, no muss. You can substitute the cooked turkey for cooked chicken or ham. This is delicious!

Ingredients

  • 2 slices of bacon chopped
  • 1/2 small onion, peeled and diced
  • 1 clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 1 cup (240ml) chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) heavy cream
  • 3 ounces (85g/3/4 cup) pasta, uncooked (penne or fusilli work great)
  • pinch each salt and  black pepper
  • 1/2 pound (230g) cooked turkey, ham or chicken, cubed
  • 1/2 cup (75g) frozen peas, unthawed
  • 1/3 cup (54g) grated Parmesan Cheese

Instructions

  1. Heat a medium skillet with a lid over moderate heat. Add the bacon.  Cook, stirring frequently, until crisp. Remove and drain off all but 1/2 TBS of the fat.
  2. Add the onion to the fat in the pan, and cook, stirring frequently, until golden.  Add the  crushed garlic and cook for about 30 seconds longer.
  3. Stir in the stock, cream and pasta.  Bring to the boil, then reduce to low, cover and simmer until the pasta is just barely al dente according to the package directions. (Mine was Garafalo Fusilli and it took 10 minutes.)
  4. Stir in the turkey, cooked bacon, frozen peas and cheese.  Combine well. Cook for a further2 to 3 minutes to heat through and melt the cheese.
  5. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 5 minutes. The sauce should thicken upon standing. Serve hot to two very appreciative people!
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Skillet Turkey Alfredo






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7 comments

  1. I have leftover roast chicken this recipe would be perfect for and I have all the ingredients. Love when that happens. Hope your weather has cooled down a bit, Marie and you were able to sleep okay last night. Love and hugs, Elaine

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sounds like the perfect plan Elaine! I hope you enjoy it! It started off cooler today, but is warming up now! Love and hugs, xoxo

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  2. I love the versatility of a dish like this - you can add whatever you have on hand. And the fact that it all cooks in one pan is a bonus as well. It sounds delicious and I've bookmarked it to try out soon. We love pasta and I am always looking for new ways to prepare it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I hope you and Lars enjoy it Marie! I know I surely did! I am loving being able to cook and eat pasta whenever I want! xoxo

      Delete
  3. Thank you for another perfect dish for two. Have you considered publishing a dinner for two cookbook? I'm always printing off small batch recipes for my Mom who is a widow as she finds it difficult to downsize recipes. Take care.........Dianne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am strongly considering it Dianne! I have another project iron in the fire at the moment, but when that is finished in a few months time, I will have more time to devote to things like that! I hope you enjoy this and your mom also! xoxo

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  4. I have followed you on Instagram,
    and just now I have you on Bloglovin.
    Chicken Pot Pie had me at the get go.
    Not sure why, not usually something for me
    but my “Mister Irish” loves his chicken pot pie
    so I was “in”
    I was loving the cup, and sad you lost the plates.
    Anyway, I said, “follow this gal!”
    And here I am . . .
    Loved the Monet too . . .
    I am hoping your settling in to your recent move
    continues to go well . . .

    ReplyDelete

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