Take leftover turkey, a bunch of veggies, and mix it into my homemade spaghetti sauce and you get a totally new meal – Turkey Bolognese.  It is a shame to call this a “leftover” meal, since I would almost make the turkey just to be able to make this!  It is a shame I made this after the girls went back to school; well maybe not such a shame, it means we have extra to use for lunches this week – that is a happy thing!

This is adapted from Giada De Laurentiis’ recipe but, honestly, one of the things that made it so good was the tomato sauce I made and froze this summer.  I used a lot of fresh basil in the sauce, so I omitted the fresh basil in her recipe.  If you do not have a basil-based marinara, add 1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil before serving.

Turkey Bolognese

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 carrot, finely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped

1 pound cooked turkey, finely shredded

3 – 4 cups of marinara sauce (I used 4 cups of my tomato sauce) (from the garden)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 pound pasta

Freshly grated parmesan

Directions

Heat the oil in a large heavy frying pan over medium heat.  Add the onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the carrot and celery and saute until the vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes.

Add the turkey and saute 1 minute.

Add the tomato sauce.  Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend, stirring often (I covered my pan to retain the moisture).  Taste and adjust seasoning with the salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta until just tender, but still firm to bite.  Drain, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.  Add to the sauce if needed (you do not need to do this if you cover the pan while cooking).

Put the pasta into a large pasta bowl, top with the sauce.

Mix the past and sauce, serve in individual bowls and pass the grated parmesan. Enjoy!

Serves 6.

Related articles

• Turkey Fried Rice – Thanksgiving Leftovers #1 (andreasgardencooking.com)
• 10 quick ideas for leftover turkey (circleoffood.com)
• From Slow-Cooked Bolognese to No-Cream Wild Mushroom: 10 Sauces For Your Pasta – Kitchn Recipe Roundup (thekitchn.com)