Preheat your oven to 400°F. While it heats, prepare all ingredients: finely dice the yellow onion into 1/4-inch pieces, grate the carrot into small pieces, mince the garlic cloves, coarsely chop the spinach, and finely chop the parsley and basil. Measuring and prepping everything now will ensure smooth cooking without interruptions. I like to keep my herbs separate so I can add them at the right moment for maximum freshness.

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the diced onion and grated carrot, cooking for 5-7 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften and the onion becomes translucent—this builds the flavor foundation. Add the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant, then add the ground turkey, breaking it into small pieces as it cooks. Once the turkey is no longer pink (about 5 minutes), pour in the red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, letting the wine reduce by half. This deglazing step extracts all the savory flavors stuck to the pan.

Stir the peeled tomatoes, tomato puree, salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes into the turkey mixture from Step 2. Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will thicken slightly and the flavors will meld together beautifully. I find that letting the sauce simmer allows the acidity from the San Marzano tomatoes to soften and the spices to fully integrate into the base.

While the sauce simmers in Step 3, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions, but drain it 1-2 minutes before it reaches full tenderness. The pasta will continue to cook in the oven, so you want it slightly firm (al dente) at this stage. Drain the pasta and set aside—do not rinse it, as the starch helps the sauce cling to the noodles.

Remove the tomato sauce from Step 3 from heat and let it cool for 1-2 minutes. Add the cooked pasta from Step 4 and the chopped spinach to the sauce, stirring gently until the spinach begins to wilt into the warm mixture. In a small bowl, combine the full-fat ricotta cheese with the nutmeg, then fold this mixture into the pasta and sauce until evenly distributed. The ricotta will create creamy pockets throughout the dish—full-fat ricotta really makes a difference in the final texture here.

Transfer the pasta mixture from Step 5 to a 9x13 inch baking dish or similar size. Spread it evenly, then top with the mozzarella cheese and parmesan cheese. Place in the preheated 400°F oven and bake for 20 minutes until the pasta is heated through and the cheese is melted. For a golden, crispy top, increase the oven temperature to 450°F and bake for an additional 5 minutes, watching carefully to prevent burning.

Remove the baked ziti from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving—this allows the cheeses to set slightly and makes plating cleaner. Garnish with the fresh parsley and basil you prepared in Step 1, adding brightness and freshness to each serving.