Turkey Ragu with Pasta Recipe

I like a red sauce thick with vegetables and this recipe delivers. Inspired by a NYT Cooking recipe, this dish uses flavorful bacon, onions, garlic, carrots and celery to jazz up ground turkey. Try this weeknight-ready recipe.

Ground Turkey Ragu with Pasta and Herbed Ricotta

Inspired by NYT Cooking’s Recipe

Ingredients:

2 pieces thick cut bacon, sliced into 1/2 inch strips
Extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 or 2 stalks celery, diced
3 garlic cloves, pressed or chopped
1 bay leaf
1 pound ground turkey
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
1/2 cup red wine
1 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 pound cooked pasta, like bowties or penne

Instructions:

1. Heat a skillet over medium high heat and coat the surface with a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add bacon pieces and fry until crisp. Remove bacon pieces to a plate lined with paper towels.
2. Saute onion in bacon fat until translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes. Add carrots, celery and garlic, cooking until softened, about another 8 minutes.
3. Stir in ground turkey and season with salt and pepper. Cook meat until it’s no longer pink, about 7 minutes. Deglaze pan with red wine, scraping the bottom of the pan. Add canned tomatoes, continuing to stir.
4. Return diced bacon to pan and stir in butter. You can season to taste and serve at this point, but if your people are not clamoring for food and banging their spoons on the table, take some time and let it bubble away on the stove. Pour yourself a glass from the bottle of red and contemplate the rest of the meal. A good salad, some warm garlic bread, maybe a green vegetable on the side.
5. When you’re ready to serve, drain the pasta. Stir the ricotta. You can zhuzh up the ricotta with a teaspoon of dried Italian seasoning stirred in, or fresh herbs, if you have them. Serve the sauce over pasta with a scoop of ricotta.

More Recipes from A Cook and Her Books

Eggplant and Tomato Pasta Recipe

Chickpea Coconut Curry Recipe

Join the Conversation

Let’s talk about cooking and more on Instagram and Facebook. You can comment on this story, too. I’d love to hear from you!