Equipment
Ingredients
Vegetable Base
- 15 ml olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 carrot, finely diced
- 1 celery, finely diced
- 1 zucchini, finely diced or grated
- 3 garlic, minced
Meat & Sauce
- 500 g lean turkey mince
- 30 g tomato paste
- 800 g crushed tomatoes
- 120 ml chicken broth
- 3 g dried oregano
Pasta & Garnish
- 320 g whole wheat spaghetti
- fresh basil
Nutrition (per serving)
Method
Finely dice the onion, carrot, celery, and zucchini using a chef knife and cutting board. Keeping the cuts small ensures they melt into the sauce.
Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the diced onion, carrot, celery, and zucchini. Cook until softened, about 8 minutes.
Add the minced garlic to the vegetables and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
Add the lean turkey mince to the pot. Cook, breaking it into very small pieces with a wooden spoon, until fully browned and the internal temperature reaches 74C or 165F.
Stir in the tomato paste and dried oregano, cooking for 2 minutes to caramelize the paste and deepen its flavor.
Pour in the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth. Stir well to combine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Bring the sauce to a gentle bubble, then reduce the heat to low. Partially cover with a lid and simmer gently for at least 40 minutes to develop the flavors.
About 15 minutes before the sauce is done, bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a rolling boil at 100C or 212F. Add the whole wheat spaghetti and cook according to package instructions until al dente.
Drain the pasta into a colander, reserving about 60ml of the starchy pasta cooking water.
Add the drained spaghetti directly into the Dutch oven with the turkey bolognese. Toss thoroughly to coat, adding a splash of the reserved pasta water if needed to help the sauce cling to the noodles.
Divide the pasta among shallow bowls and garnish with torn fresh basil leaves.
Chef's Notes
- If cooking for picky eaters, grate the zucchini and carrots instead of dicing them. They will dissolve completely into the sauce, leaving only nutrition and thickness behind.
- Browning the tomato paste before adding the liquid is a crucial step called 'pincer la tomate'. It cooks out the raw, tinny flavor and introduces deep, roasted umami notes.
- Whole wheat pasta is an excellent source of dietary fiber, but it requires plenty of heavily salted water to season it properly as it cooks. The water should taste like the sea.
- Using dark meat turkey mince (thigh meat) will yield a richer, softer texture than extra lean breast mince, closer mimicking traditional pork or beef.
Storage
Refrigerator: 4 days — Store sauce and pasta separately if possible to prevent the pasta from absorbing all the liquid.
Freezer: 3 months — Freeze the sauce only. Cook fresh pasta when reheating.
Reheating: Reheat sauce in a saucepan over medium-low heat until warmed through, or microwave in 60-second intervals.
