Fragrant turkey tomato sauce
The lunch special this week featured a hearty and healthy marinara with ground turkey breast. I cooked a pound of ground turkey breast and set it aside, being careful not to overcook it.
Then I sauteed a diced onion and green pepper. Once the veggies were soft, I added lots of chopped garlic (10-12 cloves), dry oregano (1.5 tbl), and fennel seeds (3/4 tbl). I recommend that you crush the fennel seeds in a mortar and pestle first.
A minute or so later, I added 2 14-oz cans of whole tomatoes. Once the moisture had almost completely cooked down, I added 2/3rd a cup of burgundy to deglaze the pan. After the wine had thickened, I added 2 cans of crushed tomatoes and 2 tbl sugar. The newly-added tomatoes really brightened up the color and flavor of the sauce.
I finished the sauce by adding the cooked turkey breast, 1-2 tbl pepper, and an entire package of fresh basil. The resulting sauce is chunky and rich, but almost completely devoid of fat or excess salt. It is also very flavorful, and the fennel seeds, oregano and fresh basil add a wonderful Italian bouquet to the sauce. Served over high-protein pasta with fresh fruit on the side, this sauce made a great healthy meal all week long.