Cook Time! Turkey Bolognese

Following an icky GI infection earlier this year I finally gave in to the reality that life with IBS means I can't just eat whatever takes my fancy. To heal, I religiously followed a low FODMAP diet for 6 weeks and felt so much better by week 4. My symptoms had eased, I was sleeping better, could think more clearly, had more energy and had lost weight. Result!

Since then I'm not as strict as I was in the initial six weeks but boy, if I eat too many foods high in FODMAPs I know about it. During the six week elimination diet we had to reinvent our regular family meals. You know, those go to recipes that you do on a hurried weeknight, that's a big hit with everyone and takes little thought because you've made it so many times? Yes? You have them too!

We try to eat at least one meal a day together as a family and Miss O largely eats whatever the Beloved and I are having. A firm family favorite has always been pasta with a tomato & meat sauce, loaded with garlic, onions, mushrooms and peppers. However, on a low FODMAP diet there's no garlic or garlic salt, onions or onion salt, mushrooms nor green peppers. Eeek! Plus the Beloved wasn't eating red meat so even ground beef was out. Not good. So I had to get creative.

Here is my recipe for a super easy low FODMAP turkey and pasta dish. This is now the only way we make it and we all LOVE it. You can make the meat sauce ahead of time - the longer the flavors have to mingle the better. For us this is the taste of home!

 

To serve four you'll need:

- 28oz (790g) Crushed Tomatoes 

- 2 tsp Dried basil

- Heaped tsp sugar

- Jar of fireroasted red peppers or 2 fresh peppers, diced.

- Garlic infused olive oil

- Salt & pepper

- 1lb (450g) ground (minced) turkey 

- Gluten free pasta

- Fresh basil

- Grated Pecorino Romano cheese

Wee tips:

I like Contadina's Crushed Tomatoes and The Gourmet Collection's Mediterranean Pink Himalayan Salt the best. You can read here why you can have garlic infused olive oil on a low FODMAP diet.  

(1) In a saucepan add the basil, sugar and diced peppers to the crushed tomatoes. Pour in a drizzle of garlic infused oil and season to your own taste with salt and pepper. Simmer on a low heat for up to an hour. Taste and taste again - add whatever you think it needs to taste yummie!

(2) Brown the ground turkey in olive oil and a dash of the garlic infused oil. Season with salt and pepper. If you leave larger chunks of meat it's easier for little toddler hands to grab and eat.

(3) Add the simmered tomato sauce to the browned meat or vice versa, and bring the meat sauce to a gentle simmer for at least 30 minutes.

(3) Serve with gluten free pasta, ripped fresh basil leaves, a drizzle of garlic infused oil and a generous dusting of cheese.

Delizioso! Buon appetito!