Recession Recipe: Ground Turkey Penne Bake

For our 2nd installment on HuffPo's Food section, we're posting another early episode of "Economy Bites" - Ground Turkey Penne Bake.

This episode marks our first plunge into the world of casseroles, which have since become a staple of the "Economy Bites" formula. Casseroles are a great example of what we're doing here on our show: creating large, tasty dishes that last a long time and don't break the bank. The origin recipe for this particular noodle casserole was formulated in my Grandma Bernice's kitchen, which is a great sign. You know if Grandma used to make it, then it's got to be good.

Something I love about casseroles: it's really hard to mess them up. You can throw just about any combination of ingredients into a dish, top it with cheese and bake it, and it's probably going to taste pretty good.

This casserole in particular is great for beginner cooks because the recipe is straightforward and the ingredients are very basic -- not at all intimidating -- and easy to work with. For those more seasoned in the culinary arts, a dish like this can be gussied up in a million different ways: make your own tomato sauce, use artisanal cheeses, add carrots, shallots and/or homemade pasta. The variations are limitless.

Enjoy! You can find the recipe in it's entirety on our site, Economybites.tv. While you're there, be sure to check out past episodes and sign up for our email list for weekly updates on what we're doing. You can also stay in touch by becoming a Facebook fan, downloading our free podcast, or following us on Twitter. Feel free to email us at info@economybites.tv with any questions, comments or recipe ideas!

Until next week!