Mooch

Ok, this is no fancy meal. This is nothing that needs an exact recipe. This is quick, easy, comfort food at its greatest. I got the idea for it last year when I moved into the apartment. Having my first kitchen, I asked the boy what he wanted for dinner and he said "mooch."

What? What the heck is mooch? Well, when the boy was growing up, a family friend would always make him a dish of a meat sauce stirred in with shell pasta. The name...still don't get it. But the dish, well I figured it was worth a try.But I couldn't just make pasta with meat sauce, I wanted it to "grow up." So I switched the beef to turkey to make it healthier. I used hearty past sauce with tomatoes, onion and garlic. I cooked the turkey with chopped onions and garlic, stirred in some tomatoes and fresh basil. Perfect. A nice, more rounded version of a really quick, comforting classic. The shells sort of fill themselves with the meat and veggies. It is so hearty and delicious
The sauce in this dish is very dense, and not very saucy. Try not to bog it down with too much sauce and liquid.

Mooch
1lb box of medium shell pasta
1 lb lean ground turkey
3/4 of a jar of tomato, onion and garlic pasta sauce
1/2 onion, chopped
2 tsp chopped garlic
Optional: basil, cheese

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook pasta to al dente.
Saute turkey, onion and garlic on medium high, breaking up turkey as you cook it. Cook until turkey is browned and onions are softened.
To turkey, stir in about 1/2 a jar of pasta sauce. Add more sauce until it is still thick and meaty, but saucy enough to dress the pasta.

When pasta is cooked, drain it. Return pasta to the pot, add the sauce and fully combine. Top with shredded basil and Parmesan or mozzarella if desired.