Turkey bolognese
This is a healthier version of traditional spaghetti bolognese, with low-fat turkey mince replacing beef.
By Izy Hossack
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 2 carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 300g/10½oz chestnut mushrooms, diced
- 500g/1lb 2oz turkey mince (2% fat)
- 70g/2½oz tomato purée
- 125ml/4fl oz red wine (or 125ml/4fl oz water)
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tsp mixed dried herbs
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 beef stock cube
- 600g/1lb 5oz dried spaghetti
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to serve
Method
Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the carrots, celery, onion, and a pinch of salt. Cook for around 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and starting to caramelise. Stir in the mushrooms and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are cooked through. Scrape all the vegetables into a bowl and set aside.
Return the pan to the heat and add the remaining oil along with the turkey mince. Cook the mince, breaking it into small pieces with a wooden spoon, until no longer pink. Stir in the tomato purée, then pour in the wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any golden crusty bits from the bottom of the pan.
Add the vegetables back into the pan along with the tomatoes, 500ml/18fl oz water, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, dried herbs and bay leaves. Crumble in the stock cube and stir everything together. Bring the sauce to the boil then turn down to simmer. Leave to bubble away, stirring occasionally, for at least 45 minutes or up to 3 hours (if cooking for a longer time, you may need to stir in more water if it’s looking dry). Taste and season with more salt, if needed.
When the sauce is almost ready, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the spaghetti and cook according to packet instructions. Drain and return to the pan. Stir a couple of spoonfuls of the bolognese into the pasta then divide between bowls. Top with more of the bolognese, sprinkle with the cheese and serve.
