Fast, flexible and fail safe.
With the nights drawing in and my commute feeling ever longer, it’s more and more important to get a bank of fast and cockle warming recipes I can turn to when time in the kitchen is limited.
This simple dish does just that — a spicy pasta sauce made with turkey and red peppers that’s spooned over a slinky pasta like tagliatelle, but it’d be equally at home on top of rice or a crispy skinned jacket potato — choose your favourite.
The sauce is light, lively and fresh, and it takes very little time and effort to make — so ticks the mid week dinner box. And if you need another reason to give it a try, gold old turkey is inexpensive. Which is helpful as we approach the priciest time of year. Gulp.
For four
- 500g turkey breast or thigh mince
- 600g chunky chopped tomatoes or passata
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 red pepper, diced
- 1 clove of garlic, minced
- 1 handful fresh parsley, finely chopped just before serving
- Juice of 1 juicy lemon
- 1 tbsp white sugar
- A pinch of chilli flakes
- A generous grind of black pepper and a scrunch of salt
- Parmesan and tagliatelle for serving
- Oil for cooking
Method
- Fry the onion and red pepper in a saucepan in a little olive oil for about 10 minutes on a medium heat until softened, then add the turkey mince and cook it all over and break it up with your wooden spoon.
- When the turkey has coloured all over add the garlic to the pan and cook for a couple of minutes, then add the tomatoes, chilli sugar and salt and pepper, turn the heat down, put the lid on and leave it to simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Cook the pasta and toward the end of the cooking time, add a couple of ladles of the pasta water to the turkey, along with the lemon juice.
- Drain the pasta and add the parsley to the sauce, mixing through.
- Mix some of the sauce through the pasta coating its strands, then serve in bowls and top with more sauce and Parmesan.