Turkey pasta bake

Make the most of leftover Christmas turkey (or chicken) and use it in a low-cost, easy pasta bake. A few leftover pigs in blankets make for a nice surprise, too

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• 2 tsp tomato purée
• 2 x 400g cans chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• pinch of chilli flakes (optional)
• 400 g leftover roast turkey or chicken, shredded
• 400 g dried pasta (we used penne)
• 6 leftover pigs in blankets
• 125 g ball of mozzarella or 100g grated mozzarella
• 25 g parmesan or strong cheddar, grated

Steps

1. Heat the oil in a pan over a low-medium heat and fry the onion for 8-10 mins until softened and starting to caramelise. Stir in the garlic and tomato purée, and cook for 1-2 mins more. Tip in the chopped tomatoes, vinegar, oregano, chilli and 2 tsp sugar, then season well and bring to a simmer. Swill out the tomato cans with a splash of water and stir this into the sauce, then partially cover the pan with a lid and cook for 15-20 mins until the tomatoes have reduced to a rich sauce. Crush any large pieces of tomato with a vegetable masher, if you like. Stir through the turkey or chicken and any other cooked meat you want to use up.
2. Meanwhile, boil the kettle. Pour the hot water into a large saucepan, season with salt and bring back to the boil. Cook the pasta for a minute less than pack instructions or until al dente. Drain, reserving a mugful of the pasta cooking water.
3. Tip the pasta into the sauce and stir to combine, adding some of the reserved water to loosen, if needed. Transfer to a baking dish, then tuck in the pigs in blankets or put on top. Scatter over the cheeses. Once cool, will keep covered and chilled for a day, or frozen for a month. Defrost in the fridge overnight before cooking.
4. If cooking imnmediately after prep, heat the grill to high and cook for 8-10 mins until the cheese is bubbling and golden. If cooking from chilled or defrosted, heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and cook for 25-30 mins until piping hot and the cheese has melted.