Turkey Bolognese with cheat’s Spaghetti
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.
Ingredients
- 1tbsp sunflower oil
- 500g 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
- 250g baby button mushrooms, halved
- 2tbsp plain flour
- 125ml red wine or water
- 2 x 400g can chopped tomatoes with herbs
- 2tbsp tomato puree
- 200ml 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)
Method
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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
Recipe 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.
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