‘Fuss-free’ turkey carbonara recipe to use up leftovers

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If you haven’t managed to eat all of your Christmas Day turkey, food influencer Helen Best-Shaw from @fussfreeflavours has a quick and “easy” recipe packed full of goodness. In partnership with Discover Great Veg, Helen has created a creamy turkey carbonara which is bursting with flavour.

Helen specialises in creating “fuss-free” dishes which can be easily made when you’re on the go, and her turkey carbonara is no different. For an extra nutrient punch, Helen recommends adding kale and pomegranate seeds to your typical pasta dish.

She said: “Add a portion of extra vegetables to your Christmas leftovers and go green with this easy turkey carbonara with kale, topped with pomegranate seeds and lemon panko breadcrumbs.

“We love kale as not only is it delicious but also a nutritional powerhouse which contains vitamin A, K, calcium and folate. Add a handful of kale to pasta for the last couple of minutes of cooking to easily add a portion to your dinner.”

How to make Helen’s turkey carbonara

This dish serves two people as a main course, but you can double or triple the ingredients where necessary to feed more.

Ingredients

For the lemon-herbed panko breadcrumbs

  • 15g of butter
  • One clove of garlic, peeled and minced
  • 30g of panko breadcrumbs
  • A handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • The zest of half a lemon

For the pasta

  • One tablespoon of olive oil
  • Two rashers of bacon, finely chopped
  • 120g of leftover turkey, cubed
  • 120g of pasta, spaghetti or linguini
  • 50g of kale with the stalks removed
  • 45ml of double cream
  • 30g of Parmesan or other hard Italian cheese such as Grana Padano, finely grated
  • Two tablespoons of pomegranate seeds

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Instructions

For the lemon-herbed panko breadcrumbs

Begin by melting the butter in a small frying pan, then add the garlic and cook for one minute until fragrant. Next, add the panko breadcrumbs, parsley and lemon zest and fry for a few minutes until the breadcrumbs are a pale golden colour and crisp. Remove them from the pan and set them to one side.

For the pasta

Heat the oil in a large shallow pan. The base of a shallow casserole is ideal as it can be used to serve the pasta  Next, fry the bacon for a few minutes until it is starting to crisp, then add the turkey and fry for another minute.

While the bacon and turkey are frying it’s time to cook the pasta. This can be done as per the packet instructions for the type of pasta you have chosen. Two minutes before the end of cooking time scoop out a cup of the pasta cooking water.

Now, add the prepared kale to the pasta to cook, giving it a good stir before letting it boil for another two minutes. Add the cream and cheese to the turkey and bacon, then drizzle in a few tablespoons of the pasta cooking water to make a silky smooth sauce. Let this gently simmer.

When the pasta and kale are cooked strain them and give a really good shake to get rid of the last of the cooking water. Add to the creamy turkey sauce and toss to coat the pasta and kale. If needed add a little more of the reserved pasta water. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve your pasta topped with pomegranate seeds and lemon-herbed panko breadcrumbs.

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