A New Favorite: Penne with Turkey Ragu

Last night, I tried a terrific recipe from a new cookbook called The Best and Lightest. I won this book through a give-away on Instagram, and I've already found a lot of new dishes I'd like to try.

I recently decided to stop eating or cooking red meat and pork. Fish and fowl remain on the menu for now, primarily because I don't want to eliminate all meat protein from my daughter's diet. I've found ground turkey to be a good substitute for ground beef, and I've used it for burgers and chilis in the past without missing out on anything in terms of flavor. In fact, even before I stopped eating red meat, I preferred ground turkey; it's much leaner and lighter than the beef alternative.

Sophie and I also eat a lot of pasta, so the Penne with Turkey Ragu (found on page 243) seemed like a good choice for us. I was excited to give this one a try.

There were a couple of ingredients I'd never worked with before, and I know this admission will officially seal my novice-home-cook status. First, I'd never used half-and-half for anything but my morning cup of coffee, so I was a bit surprised to discover it was to be added to the sauce. This did help thicken the sauce a bit, and it added a nice creaminess that was delicious and unexpected.

I'd also never worked with leeks before. I've seen them in the market and thought they just looked like giant green onions, but their flavor is stronger, and the scent they emitted when mixed with two cloves of garlic over a low heat was heavenly.

I used a large pan, but perhaps it wasn't large enough. It seemed as if I ran out of room rather quickly. Once the turkey was added...

... and then the crushed tomatoes and 2 cups of water, I began to doubt that I'd have room for the pasta, which was boiling while I created the ragu.

As you can see, the pan is almost completely full. Of course, the sauce boiled for several minutes (which made my stovetop crazy-messy!), so it cooked down enough to fit the half-and-half, the basil, the parmesan cheese, and yes, the pasta, too.

Just looking at this picture makes me want to eat this dish all over again!

I don't have a bigger pan in my kitchen, so next time, I will probably use a little less water (the ragu wasn't quite as thick as I'd wanted it to be, anyway), but I just might add a little more turkey. The recipe only calls for 6 ounces, which was fine, but it would be even heartier with a little extra meat.

The Penne with Turkey Ragu went over well with Sophie. She and I both went back for seconds, and it was the perfect meal for a chilly evening. The recipe was quick and easy; dinner was ready in about 30 minutes. I will definitely make this one again!