E-Train's Turkey Broccoli Pasta Bake

Last Thanksgiving Eric and I made this recipe up to help use up some of our turkey leftovers. I thought it would be incredibly rude of me to name a dish Eric helped make up after an old boyfriend so I did a little shout-out to Eric's college days with one of his younger days' nicknames- "E-train". He was also a "hard guy" in high school- Some of you 1992 MHS graduates might know what this means but I didn't think "hard guy" lent itself well to the title of a pasta dish. Eric served his mission in Italy therefore we make and eat a lot of pasta in our house. And Eric is an excellent cook. When we first got married we took some homemade rolls that Eric had made to a family party and my Grandma pulled Eric aside and said, "Isn't it so nice to have a wife who can make homemade rolls." Eric didn't correct her but I sheepishly told her Eric had made them. She responded, "Well, even better." Needless to say Eric knew a lot more about cooking than me when we got married. But ahhh- the apprentice has become the master over the course of 12 years! Ok- enough chit chat- here's the yummy recipe if you have any turkey leftovers, left.

1 lb penne or ziti pasta- cooked

4 cups shredded turkey

2 cups steamed broccoli

1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

1/2 medium onion chopped

small can of mushrooms or you could use fresh - but we didn't have any.

2 Tbs olive oil

2 Tbs butter

4 Tbs flour

2 cups chicken broth

1/2 cup cream

1 Tbs White wine vinegar

1 crushed clove of garlic

1/4 tsp nutmeg

Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Heat oil and butter together over medium high heat. Add onions, mushrooms and garlic. Saute until onions are soft- about 4-5 minutes. Add flour to make a roux- cook for a minute or two. (If you use fresh mushrooms you may have to add more oil to make the roux, because those babies just soak up the oil!) Add chicken broth and cream. Let thicken, then add vinegar, parmesan cheese, nutmeg and S& P to taste. Let cook for a few minutes. Combine pasta, turkey, broccoli, and roux. Pour into a 9 x 13 sprayed with cooking spray. Then top with Swiss cheese. Cook for about 15-20 minutes until the cheese is browned on top.