Fancy having an affair on your beloved long-term bolognese recipe with her funnier, easier, less serious sister? She’s tasty!
Here at the Rooted kitchen we cook for love and for a living, but sometimes even we feel like cheating! Which is why in our bolognese quest, we came across and experimented with this turkey variation, for a lighter, quicker, just-as-tasty version. Give her a go!
What you need
Ingredients
4 SERVINGS
- 500g spaghetti
Bolognese sauce
- 1 carrot, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 stick celery, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 500g turkey mince
- 2 tbsp. olive oil
- ½ cup tomato paste
- 700ml passata
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tbsp. miso paste
- 1 tsp. dried oregano
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 1 parmesan rind
- Salt & pepper
Optional
- Grated parmeson
- Fresh basil
- Chilli oil
Preparation
Step 1
Heat olive oil in a pot on medium heat and add carrot, onion, celery and mushrooms. Cook for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
Step 2
Add turkey mince and cook for about 10 minutes or until browned.
Step 3
Add tomato paste and cook through for a further 3 minutes before adding the oregano and thyme.
Step 4
Deglaze the pot with the chicken stock, then add the remainder of the sauce ingredients and stir through. Cook on medium-low heat for 35 minutes. Taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust. If the sauce appears too thin – cook uncovered for a further 5-10 minutes until the sauce reaches desired consistency. Remove parmesan rind and discard.
Step 5
Once sauce is done, cook spaghetti as per packet instructions and drain.
Step 6
Serve pasta with a generous amount of bolognese on top. Optional sprinkle with parmesan, basil leaves and freshly cracked pepper. Buon appetito!
✨ RECIPE NOTES ✨
- Why turkey mince? Turkey is lean, packed with plenty of protein to keep you going for longer. In a dish like bolognese with a rich sauce, it’s pretty indistinguishable from your regular beef variety. This recipe is high in protein, low in fat, high in tasty and low in effort. A dichotomy of a recipe!
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Gluten free: This recipe can be made gluten free by swapping the pasta to a gluten free version and omitting the nutritional yeast. Try it!
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Simmer, simmer, simmer: If you’re making this for a weeknight dinner and just want to have a medium effort, nourishing meal and soon, then follow the recipe above. But if you have time, let this simmer over low heat for an extra hour or even two, topping up with water if necessary. Bolognese, like ragu, tastes better the longer it is cooked. Tastes even better the following day.
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Little bit of leftover sauce? My favourite treat as a kid was bolognese on toast with a slice of melted cheese for breakfast. I preferred that to the pasta the night before, if I’m honest. Try it!
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Lots of leftover sauce? Make a larger batch and freeze it to use for your next pasta meal! Pasta doesn’t always freeze the best (depending on how it’s stored, the edges can dry up), so we recommend just freezing the sauce and heating it up in the microwave or over the stove with a bit of water. Serve with a fresh batch of cooked pasta.
