1 ½ lb. mini penne or any short-cut pasta salt and freshly ground pepper
3 tblsp. Olive or Grape seed oil 3 lb. ground turkey (lean ground beef)
3 tblsp. tomato paste 5 lg. cloves garlic, minced
2 med. or 1 softball-size onion, diced 3 med. carrots, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced 1 med. zucchini, diced
2 ½ c. chicken stock, divided 1 tblsp. poultry seasoning
3 tblsp. butter 3 tblsp. all-purpose flour
1 c. milk 2 c. shredded provolone
½ c. shredded Asiago cheese, plus additional

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Place a large pot filled with water over high heat and bring to a boil to cook the pasta. Once boiling, add some salt and the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain well and transfer pasta back to the cooking pot.
While water is coming to a boil for the pasta, place a large skillet over high heat with 3 tablespoons of oil. Once the oil starts to ripple, add the ground meat and break it up into small pieces as it cooks using the back of a wooden spoon or a potato masher. Cook until the meat is nice and brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
Add the veggies t the turkey and cook until tender, about 5 minutes. Add ½ cup chicken stock, tomato paste, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Continue to cook for 5 more minutes, stirring every now and then.
While the veggies and turkey are cooking, place a medium-size saucepot over medium heat with the butter. Once the butter melts, add the flour and cook 1 minute, whisking constantly so the flour doesn’t burn. Whisk in the milk and the rest of the chicken stock and bring up to a simmer and cook until it has thickened. Once thick, turn off the heat, add booth cheeses and stir until completely melted. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Cover the bottom of a large oven-safe baking dish with the meat and veggie mixture. Meanwhile add the cheese sauce to the drained pasta in the pasta pot. Stir to coat and then transfer the cheesy pasta to the baking dish. Spread out over the meat mixture evenly. Sprinkle the top with a little extra Asiago, place in the oven and bake until the top is golden brown, about 10 minutes.

Serve with a green salad and your favorite vinaigrette alongside.

Yields: 8 servings.

Courtesy Rachael Ray, August 12, 2008