Baked Pasta with Turkey and Broccoli Rabe Meatballs

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 450°F.
2. Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Trim the tough lower stems from the broccoli rabe and reserve for another use. Add the tender leaves and florets to the boiling water and cook for 2 minutes after the water returns to a boil. Use tongs to transfer the greens to a colander and drain very well.
3. Add the pasta to the same pot and cook until not quite al dente, about 2 minutes less than the package directions.
4. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta water, then drain the pasta and transfer to a large bowl.
5. While the pasta cooks, in another large bowl, combine the turkey, egg, onion, bread crumbs, 2/3 cup of the pecorino, the lemon zest, and the salt. Wrap the broccoli rabe in a kitchen towel and press to squeeze out as much water as possible. Chop the broccoli rabe finely (you will have about ½ packed cup) and add to the bowl.

6. With your hands or a rubber spatula, work the meatball mixture together just until blended. Roll the mixture into balls about 11 inches in diameter; you should have about 24 meatballs.

7. In a large sauté pan (see Hint), heat the oil over medium heat. Add the meatballs and cook until firm and lightly browned allover, 6 to 8 minutes, shaking the pan and turning the meatballs often. Add the sauce to the pan and bring to a boil, using a wooden spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the nan. Simmer the meatballs in the sauce until cooked through, about 5 minutes.

8. Pour the sauce and meatballs over the pasta and gently combine with a rubber spatula. If the mixture doesn't look saucy enough, add a bit of pasta water, 2 tablespoons at a time.
9. Pour half the pasta and meatball mixture into a 9 × 13-inch baking dish and top with the grated mozzarella. Spread the remaining pasta and meatballs in the dish and arrange the sliced mozzarella on top. Sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup pecorino.
10. Bake until the cheese is bubbling and the top is golden, about 20 minutes. Let the pasta rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.

11. Hint: If you don't have a large sauté pan, you may need to brown the meatballs in two batches. If so, add the pomodoro to the pan with the second batch of meatballs. then return the first batch of meatballs to the pan and simmer them all together. Combine the sauce and the meatballs with the pasta in a large bowl before layering into the baking dish.