White Turkey Ragu

Low Carb spaghetti tossed in a white ragu sauce with crumbled ground turkey breast and fresh parmesan is a dish that is perfect for the whole family!

As I was jogging on the treadmill the other day, the Rachel Ray show was on so the natural thing to do while burning calories was to watch a cooking show! She was making this great looking pasta dish that of course I wanted to replicate! A pasta dish with a white ragu sauce! Yum! This also gave me a great excuse to use my Parmesan rind that I have been saving for such an occasion! Score! It was also my very first fennel experience, and I like it!

This came out amazing, and I may or may not have had seconds 🙂

I hope you enjoy this pasta dish as much as I did!

White Turkey Ragu ( I made slight adaptations to the original recipe to fit my own taste buds 🙂 )

Serves 6-7

You Need:

- 1 lb low carb spaghetti ( I use Dreamfields)

- 3 tbs extra virgin olive oil

- ½ fennel bulb chopped ( save some of the leaves for garnish)

- 2 teaspoon fennel seeds

- 1 celery stalk chopped finely

- 4 garlic cloves minced

- 1 sweet onion chopped

- ½ cup of pasta water

- 1.5 cup unsalted chicken stock

- 1 cup fat free half n half

- 1 Parmesan rind

- 1 lb extra lean ground turkey breast

- salt and pepper

- fresh Parmesan to top pasta

Directions:

In a large heavy bottom sauce pan ( such as a Dutch oven), heat oil on medium high heat and add fennel seeds.

Add turkey and brown for about 5-7 minutes.

Add fennel bulb, onion, garlic, and celery to pot and partially cover with lid to let vegetables soften ( about 8 minutes)

Remove lid and add the liquids ( chicken stock and half n half) and the parmesan rind. Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer for 20 minutes.

While the sauce is simmering, cook pasta per instructions on box. Don't forget to salt the water!

Drain pasta while reserving ½ cup of pasta water.

Add pasta water to sauce and the pasta itself.

Toss the pasta with the sauce to make sure it is mixed thoroughly.

Remove the parmesan rind and discard.

It's all ready to serve! Garnish with fennel leaves and fresh parmesan! I paired mine with a side salad to add some extra veggies to the meal!

Enjoy!