veggie and turkey pasta casserole

i am not a fan of casseroles. i think the word casserole conjours up ideas of cream of blah something, pounds of butter, some sort of canned meat product, etc...not the kind of thing i look for in a dinner for myself or my family. with all that being said, it is a fairly drawing idea of putting a whole meal together in one pan and baking it up, not much different from a soup really. x-mas has finally ended for us with the departure of bigfoodie daddy off today for work for the first time since before x-mas. cleaning up the fridge helped me put together this litte casserole of sorts. shredded carrots, chopped leftover broccoli, ground turkey, frozen/thawed garlic marinara, penne, cheese....that was the list of ingredients i had on hand to throw together this little ditty. it came out yummy, creamy and not what i think of when i think of casserole (tuna casserole anyone?). the best part is littlefoodie, who although will really eat most anything with just some subtle encouragment took this down like a champ even with carrots being involved! the veggies all hidden in that cheesy mess is the best part!

enjoy!

1 lb ground turkey
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
few handfuls of sliced mushroooms, (i used the pre sliced bagged stuff from trader joes)
2 cups chopped cooked broccoli
3 carrots, shredded
2 cups marinara sauce or your favorite red sauce
1 tsp dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1/3 cup unbleached flour
2 1/2 cups milk
pinch of nutmeg
1/2 cup mozarella cheese, shredded
1/2 cup provolone, shredded
1/4 cup parmesan, shredded
1 bag whole wheat penne pasta or your fav pasta, cooked al dente

saute turkey, onion and garlic until cooked. add in mushrooms, broccoli and carrots. toss in marinara sauce and oregano and season with salt and pepper if needed. simmer 10 min then set aside.

add flour to pan and whisk in milk. heat pan to med heat and bring to boil; reduce and simmer until thick stirring constantly. stir in nutmeg, salt and fresh ground pepper. stir in cheeses.

stir meat/veggie mixture, pasta and cheese together in a casserole dish. top with either a little reserved cheese sauce or some fresh grated paremesan cheese. bake 1 hr at 350F or until warmed thru.