Turkey Bolognese

It doesn’t seem that long ago that my family would turn their noses up at minced turkey as if it was somehow inferior to minced beef but now the tide has turned and we rarely have minced beef and I can’t say that any of us miss it. I think the more we use an ingredient the more empathy we get for it and that’s probably why my family now love my turkey dishes. Unlike red meat, turkey has a subtle flavour and therefore other ingredients can really shine in a dish.

So I thought I’d share with you this Turkey Bolognese that has become a staple in our house and is far tastier than anything you’ll buy in a jar and cheaper to make. I watched with interest Greg Wallace’s latest show Eat Well for Less where the couple were taking a jar of sauce, adding a tin of tomatoes and all manner of extra herbs and spices. As Greg said “you’re making a sauce, you don’t need the jar”. It’s so very true, if you have a tin of tomatoes you basically have the building block of a sauce with just a few simple additions!

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Turkey Bolognese

A tasty Turkey Bolognaise made with bacon, celery, carrot and a dash of sherry.

Course Main

Cuisine Italian

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 35 minutes

Total Time 50 minutes

Servings 4

Author Camilla

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp Rapeseed oil
• 1 Onion large, finely dice
• 1 Carrot large, finely diced
• 2 Celery sticks finely diced
• 1 Garlic Knorr Flavour Pot or 3 garlic cloves crushed
• 3 Unsmoked back bacon slices chopped
• 450 g Turkey thigh mince
• 1 tsp Italian herbs
• 400 mls Chicken stock made with half a stock cube
• 1 x 400g Tin chopped tomatoes
• 1 tbsp Tomato paste
• Freshly ground pepper
• Salt but only if using fresh garlic otherwise not necessary
• 2 tbsp Sweet sherry
• Grated parmesan cheese

Instructions

1. Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large pan and sweat the onion, carrot, celery and garlic if using under a lid for about 10 minutes until onions translucent (stirring occasionally).
2. Push the vegetables to the outer edge, add another tbsp of oil and fry the bacon until cooked.
3. Add the turkey mince and continue to fry until lightly browned.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic Flavour Pot, herbs, pepper and stock.
5. Bring to boil and then reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes, popping the lid on after 10 minutes.
6. Check seasoning.
7. Add the sherry and continue to simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Serve with spaghetti and parmesan cheese.

For more turkey mince inspiration you might like to check out some recipes from fellow bloggers: Sundried Turkey Meatballs in a Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, Polenta Crust Turkey Burgers with Heirloom Tomato Salsa, Turkey Koftes with Cous Cous Salad & Tzatziki, Quick Turkey Kofta Kebabs with Spanish Smoked Paprika or my Turkey Meatloaf and ActFry Roast Potatoes, Turkey Chilli with Baked Beans, Flavours of Brazil Turkey Burgers with Bacon and Pineapple or Turkey and Chorizo Meatballs.

As this dish is so thrifty I am entering it into Credit Crunch Munch which I run with Helen and is being hosted this month by Elizabeth. I am also adding my Turkey Bolognese to Karen’s Cooking with Herbs linky.

Disclaimer: I was sent a box of ingredients and Knorr Flavour Pots by Unilever Kitchen with which to create a recipe.