This turkey bolognese is a simple twist on a classic, made with turkey mince instead of the traditional beef.
Turkey mince is great to use for pasta recipes. It’s got plenty of protein and less fat than beef mince, if you’re interested in those kind of metrics, and it cooks nice and quickly too.
My turkey bolognese is made with mushrooms to stretch that turkey mince even further, as well as plenty of delicious herbs to make this a really tasty dinner.
The Ingredients
- Onion, garlic, mushrooms – these are the vegetables I used in this bolognese. It’s a versatile dish and you can add other veggies – courgettes or grated carrot would work well.
- Turkey mince – I tend to get turkey mince when it’s on offer (certain times of the year it is really cheap) and store in the freezer for when I want to make a meal like this.
- Passata – passata makes a lovely, thick and luscious sauce for the turkey bolognese. Though you can use chopped tomatoes instead, the texture will be different and I’d really recommend you use passata if you can.
- Basil – fresh basil is what takes this recipe from standard weeknight dinner to something really tasty. I love the way it lifts all of the flavours.
- Pasta – use any kind of dried pasta you like. I used fusilli, but you can go for the typical spaghetti, or any other kind of pasta.
- Grated cheese – optional, but I love to top my bolognese with some grated cheese. You could use Parmesan, mozzarella or cheddar.
Easy Classic Turkey Bolognese
A delicious bolognese sauce made with turkey mince, mushrooms, passata and basil. Perfect for making ahead and freezing.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 onion
- 500 grams turkey mince
- 3 cloves garlic
- 200 grams mushrooms
- 680 grams passata
- 10 grams fresh basil
- 400 grams dried pasta e.g. Fusilli
- Grated cheese Optional, to serve
Instructions
- Cook the pasta according to packet instructions. Drain and leave to one side.
- Meanwhile, peel and finely chop the onion. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, until starting to soften.
- Add the turkey mince and cook, stirring regularly, for another 4-5 minutes until starting to brown.
- Peel and finely chop the garlic. Slice the mushrooms. Add both to the pan along with the passata. Stir, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 10 minutes.
- Tear the basil into small pieces. Add to the pan. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
- To serve, either spoon the pasta into bowls and top with the sauce and grated cheese, or toss the pasta and sauce together before spooning into bowls and topping with cheese.
Video
Notes
1. This recipe can be frozen. Cook the sauce (not the pasta), allow to cool then freeze for up to three months. Reheat thoroughly in a saucepan before serving.
Nutrition
Calories: 680kcalCarbohydrates: 95gProtein: 41gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 4gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.1gCholesterol: 93mgSodium: 144mgPotassium: 1451mgFiber: 7gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 1091IUVitamin C: 22mgCalcium: 94mgIron: 6mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
More quick pasta recipes:
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- 15 Minute Creamy Garlic Mushroom Pasta
- Parma Ham, Fig and Blue Cheese Spaghetti
- Pancetta, Broccoli and Dolcelatte Rigatoni
- Mushroom, Courgette and Ricotta Pasta
- Garlic, Chilli and Prawn Tagliatelle
- Quick and Easy Tagliatelle
- Artichoke and Pancetta Pasta
- Garlic Prawn Linguine
- Tuna, Black Olive and Tomato Pasta
- Pesto Pasta with Feta and Green Olives
A wonderful weeknight dinner!