Dinner

Pasta + turkey marinara + side salad

Classic carb-load. Eat the night before a match for sustained next-day energy.

What you need

Ingredients

Making for

4 servings

Quantities scale linearly with servings. Round to the nearest practical amount when shopping.

1
Boil the pasta
Boil 16 oz whole-grain pasta in heavily salted water until al dente, about 10 minutes. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
10:00
2
Brown the turkey
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add 1 lb ground turkey. Break it apart and cook 6 minutes until no pink remains.
6:00
3
Simmer the sauce
Add 2 cups marinara, 1 minced garlic clove, and ½ cup of the reserved pasta water. Simmer for 5 minutes to let the flavors marry.
5:00
4
Toss it
Add the drained pasta directly to the sauce skillet. Toss with tongs until every noodle is coated. Add more pasta water if it looks dry.
Common mistake: Pouring sauce on plated pasta. Wrong way. Always add the PASTA to the SAUCE in the skillet so the starch and oil bind. Otherwise sauce pools at the bottom.
5
Quick salad and serve
Toss 4 cups romaine with 1 tbsp olive oil, juice of half a lemon, salt, and a pinch of pepper. Plate pasta + salad side by side. Optional: a tablespoon of grated parmesan over the pasta.

Eat dinner 12-14 hours before kickoff for full carb-loading effect.
Whole-grain pasta releases energy slower than white. Better for next-day fuel.
Add the pasta to the sauce, not the sauce to the pasta. The starch helps everything cling.