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Justine Pattison

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Turkey Bolognese with cheat’s Spaghetti

quick meals turkey bolognese
Print Recipe
Cheat’s spaghetti is one of my favourites and something I go back to time and time again. Using minced turkey instead of beef cuts the cooking time and reduces the fat content of this Bolognese sauce. It’s important to use a pale white cabbage so it really does resemble pasta. An average serving of spaghetti contains around 220 calories – a serving of cabbage ‘spaghetti’ has 68 calories.
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 30 minutes mins
Total Time 45 minutes mins
Servings 6

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 500 g minced turkey
  • 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 celery sticks, thinly sliced
  • 2 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
  • 2 garlic cloves, crushed
  • 250 g baby button mushrooms, halved
  • 2 tbsp plain flour
  • 125 ml red wine or water
  • 2 x 400 g can chopped tomatoes with herbs
  • 2 tbsp tomato puree
  • 200 ml chicken stock (made with 1 chicken stock cube)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • flaked sea salt
  • ground black pepper
  • cheat's spaghetti
  • fresh basil, to garnish (optional)

Instructions

  • Heat the oil in a large, deep non-stick saucepan or sauté pan. Fry the mince with the onion, celery, carrots and garlic in the pan over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Squash the meat with a wooden spoon to break up any large lumps.
  • Add the mushrooms and fry with the mince and vegetables for a further 2-3 minutes. Stir in the flour, then the wine or water, tomatoes, tomato puree and stock. Add the bay leaves, season with ground black pepper, give a good stir and bring to a gentle simmer.
  • Simmer gently for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally until the turkey and vegetables are tender and the sauce is thick. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with the freshly boiled cabbage ‘spaghetti’ or small portions of pasta and a big salad. Garnish with fresh basil if you like. Calories per serving: 181.

Cheat’s Spaghetti

  • Cut 1 medium white cabbage (around 1.2kg) in half and remove the core. Very thinly slice the cabbage and then rub it through your fingers to separate the strands. Put the cabbage into a large saucepan and add enough just-boiled water to rise 5cm up the sides. Cover with a lid and boil for 4-5 minutes or until just tender, stirring twice. Drain well. Calories per serving: 68.

Notes

To freeze

Flat freeze the cooled Bolognese in zip seal bags up to 3 months. Reheat from frozen with an extra splash of water in a large, wide-based saucepan over a medium heat until piping hot throughout, stirring regularly.

Buy ‘QUICK & EASY’ Without the Calories: Low-Calorie Recipes, Cheats and Ideas for Every Day

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My gooey microwave ‘baked’ camembert is featured i My gooey microwave 'baked' camembert is featured in @dailymailweekend today, along with scrambled eggs, warm fruit compote and pitta bread pizzas - all taken from Ping!⁠
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My latest book – PING! – is published today.⁠
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It’s a collection of over 100 energy-saving, family-friendly recipes cooked using just a microwave oven. ⁠
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It’s a bit of departure from my recent books, but one I hope you'll find useful – and perhaps intriguing too. There's something fascinating about cooking in the microwave and, even though I’ve been using them for many years, I was surprised by the huge variety of different - and very delicious - dishes that could be cooked successfully using microwave power alone. Everything from easy curries and 'casseroles', to lasagne, barbecue-style chicken, spicy rice, banoffee pie, sticky toffee pudding, rich chocolate brownie and lemon drizzle cake! ⁠
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If you do fancy taking a peak at Ping!, you can find it in your local bookshop, online and via the link in my bio.⁠
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For a healthy midweek meal, why not try a simple v For a healthy midweek meal, why not try a simple veggie bolognese? Taken from my slow cooker book, this one makes four really generous servings or six smaller portions. It freezes very well and can be used for a lasagne, pasta bake or base for veggie cottage pie. Perfect if you like to go meat-free or simply fancy a change.⁠
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Click in the link in my bio to take you to the recipe.⁠
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Slow cooker pulled pork makes an easy meal for ove Slow cooker pulled pork makes an easy meal for over the weekend. My version is rich and spicy - perfect for piling into warmed wraps with pink pickled onions, avocado, soured cream and shredded lettuce. ⁠
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