Learn how to make some ground turkey, seasoned, tossed with black beans in a rich passata sauce and paired with gluten free spaghetti that is made from brown rice flour. This recipe is packed with protein, flavoursome and perfect for a weeknight dinner for the whole family.
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Who said that you need to wait until Thanksgiving to have turkey? Not me! Ground is readily accessible in my neck of the woods so I always like to take advantage of that.
It's low in fat and loaded with protein, in other words it's a very lean type of meat which is why its my to go.
What makes this recipe truly special is the seasoning, it's my special mix that I love to use when making picadillo.
Grinding your own spices gives more depth in flavour when compared to the store bought blend.
It is a combination of paprika, onion granules, garlic granules, cumin, parsley, chilli powder, black pepper and pink salt is worked into the ground turkey where the flavour is locked in with aromatic flavours.
From there the meat is pan seared, this step is crucial for optimising the overall taste of the dish so don't skip it.
The ground turkey is combined with the black beans before finally slowly simmered in a rice tomato sauce.
The extra boost of protein from the black beans adds another hearty layer of plant based goodness that is guaranteed to keep you content.
The gluten free spaghetti is made from brown rice, that's just my preference but any gluten free spaghetti will replicate the same results.
This is a must try recipe that works well as a meal prep option that tastes so much better the next day as the flavours really meld overnight.
Ingredients you will need
- Ground turkey - This is the star of the show! I'm using 7% ground turkey thigh because it's lean not dry like ground turkey breast tends to be.
- Spices/herbs - Paprika, cumin, onion granules, garlic granules, parsley, oregano, black pepper, pink salt, chilli powder.
- Olive oil - Used for sauteing.
- Black beans - Canned beans are a great protein addition.
- Red bell peppers - Pureed which helps to form the tomato sauce.
- Onion/garlic - These are the typical base ingredients.
- Passata - Creates a rich smooth base.
- Spaghetti - Brown rice flour spaghetti is what I used.
The steps
- Place the ground turkey in a medium sized bowl.
- Place the paprika, black pepper, onion granules, garlic granules, oregano, parsley cumin, chilli powder and pink salt in a spice grinder.
- Mill into a fine consistency.
- Use your hands to thoroughly season the meat.
- In a large frying pan or skillet on medium heat, heat olive oil.
- Saute the onion and garlic until soft and translucent.
- Add the ground turkey and sear the meat (this will take roughly 10-15 minutes).
- Add the black beans and cook for a few minutes.
- Stir in the passata.
- Bring the pan to a rolling boil then reduce the heat to medium-low with the lid on.
- Leave to simmer for 20-25 minutes. Check and stir the frequency if you find there is too much liquid, you may need to remove the lid and increase the heat to high to cook off any excess (only do this near the end of the cooking time).
- Once cooked, remove the lid and do a taste test adding black pepper and pink salt to taste.
- To cook spaghetti, bring a large saucepan of water to a rolling boil.
- Once boiling point has reached add 1 teaspoon of pink salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Add the spaghetti to the water.
- Stir the spaghetti gently for the first 1-2 minutes (this will reduce any sticking).
- Cook the spaghetti until "al dente" this should take anything from 5-7 minutes, keep in mind some gluten free pasta cooks quicker than other, so check the readiness from 4 minutes).
- Once cooked, drain off the water in a colander and immediately rinse with cold water.
- Serve accordingly.
Notes and tips
- Season the meat thoroughly, don't rush this step, make sure to really work the spice blend into the meat.
- Be sure to use a spice grinder to mill the spices this makes a difference to just adding the spices individually.
- Keep a watchful eye on the spaghetti, gluten free pasta has a tendency to go from al dente to overcooked too quickly. Remember to check it from the 4 minute mark, it should have a slight bite to it.
- It is very important to rinse off the spaghetti with cold water once it has cooked as this will immediately halt any further cooking and prevent sticking.
- Feel free to add your own twist by using chickpeas, red kidney beans, spinach, carrots etc..
- Remember to do a taste test and adjust according to your preference.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for one day, it is best not to freeze the spaghetti.
More ground and turkey recipes to try
- Turkey Picadillo
- Ground Beef Lettuce Wraps
- Caribbean Plantains with Ground Beef
- Smoked Turkey Necks
- Leftover Turkey Fried Rice
- Slow Cooker Ground Turkey
- Caribbean Turkey Steaks Recipe
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Ground Turkey With Spaghetti
Ingredients
To season the ground turkey
- 2 lb ground turkey
- 3 tablespoon paprika
- 2 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 teaspoon onion granules
- 3 teaspoon garlic granules
- 3 teaspoon oregano
- 2 teaspoon cumin
- 3 teaspoon parsley
- 1½ teaspoon chilli powder
- 2½ teaspoon pink salt
To prepare the sauce
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small onion chopped
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 2 red bell peppers minced
- 14 oz can of black beans drained
- 24 oz passata
- black pepper and pink salt to taste
To cook the spaghetti
- 1 lb brown rice flour spaghetti
- 1 teaspoon pink salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
To cook the ground turkey
- Place the ground turkey in a medium sized bowl.
- Place the paprika, black pepper, onion granules, garlic granules, oregano, parsley cumin, chilli powder and pink salt in a spice grinder.
- Mill into a fine consistency.
- Use your hands to thoroughly season the meat.
- In a large frying pan or skillet on medium heat, heat olive oil.
- Saute the onion and garlic until soft and translucent.
- Add the ground turkey and sear the meat (this will take roughly 10-15 minutes).
- Add the black beans and cook for a few minutes.
- Stir in the passata.
- Bring the pan to a rolling boil then reduce the heat to medium-low with the lid on.
- Leave to simmer for 20-25 minutes.
- Check and stir the frequency if you find there is too much liquid, you may need to remove the lid and increase the heat to high to cook off any excess (only do this near the end of the cooking time).
- Once cooked, remove the lid and do a taste test adding black pepper and pink salt to taste.
To cook the spaghetti
- To cook spaghetti, bring a large saucepan of water to a rolling boil.
- Once boiling point has reached add 1 teaspoon of pink salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
- Add the spaghetti to the water.
- Stir the spaghetti gently for the first 1-2 minutes (this will reduce any sticking).
- Cook the spaghetti until "al dente" this should take anything from 5-7 minutes, keep in mind some gluten free pasta cooks quicker than other, so check the readiness from 4 minutes).
- Once cooked, drain off the water in a colander and immediately rinse with cold water.
- Serve accordingly.
Notes
- Season the meat thoroughly, don't rush this step, make sure to really work the spice blend into the meat.
- Be sure to use a spice grinder to mill the spices this makes a difference to just adding the spices individually.
- Keep a watchful eye on the spaghetti, gluten free pasta has a tendency to go from al dente to overcooked too quickly. Remember to check it from the 4 minute mark, it should have a slight bite to it.
- It is very important to rinse off the spaghetti with cold water once it has cooked as this will immediately halt any further cooking and prevent sticking.
- Feel free to add your own twist by using chickpeas, red kidney beans, spinach, carrots etc..
- Remember to do a taste test and adjust according to your preference.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for one day, it is best not to freeze the spaghetti.
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