Harissa & sun dried tomato turkey ragu with mint sumac salad

Ready in under an hour but tastes like it's been cooking all day!!

Hi, friends. First of all, welcome to all the new readers who found their way to my newsletter via my now viral one-pot harissa chicken and couscous recipe!! I’m so glad you’re here, and I hope you’ll stay a while.

Second of all, thank you to everyone who made that recipe. I truly will never get over the fact that people cook my recipes in their own kitchens, and there is no cooler feeling than receiving messages, comments, and emails telling me how much you and your family enjoy them.

And because so many of you made the harissa chicken and couscous, I know you now have an open jar of harissa sitting in your fridge. Let’s make very good use of it, shall we?

Tell me more

We’re making harissa and sun dried tomato turkey ragu, and it’s weeknight cooking at its finest; quick, simple, and damn delicious.

Now most ragu recipes will call for hours and hours on the stove, and I love those when I have the time and the foresight to plan ahead! But honestly, most of the time I possess neither. Which is why I’m a huge fan of using flavor-building methods and ingredients to make this ragu taste like it’s been cooking all day, when in reality it’s ready in about 45 minutes.

We’re going to start by browning our ground turkey, which will improve the taste of the meat and leave you with lots of stuck-on bits in the pan that will continue to flavor the sauce as we layer in ingredients. The next big dose of yumminess comes from the harissa paste and the sun-dried tomatoes, both of which will add lots of depth and savoriness. A generous pour of white wine continues to deepen the flavor and adds some acidity while helping to loosen up those previously-mentioned stuck-on bits. Last but certainly not least, we’re finishing it off with butter and parmesan for a healthy amount of richness. Plus, everything’s better with butter and parm.

And because I’m a big fan of both garnishes and complementary salads, we’re serving our pasta with a quick side that acts as both. A mint, red onion, and sumac salad that adds just the right amount of bright, fresh flavor.

Before we start

• In addition to wanting to create a meaty pasta sauce that’s ready fairly quickly, I also wanted to create something that feels a bit lighter for summer. Tomorrow is Memorial Day, after all! Rather than opting for a fattier cut like pork or beef, I chose ground turkey. Now, you can certainly go with whatever ground meat you prefer! But let me tell you that this tastes very rich and comforting, despite using something a bit leaner. You almost can’t tell it’s turkey!

• Similarly, I chose white wine to keep things a bit fresher. Red is totally fine and if you prefer to skip the wine altogether, just use more broth instead.

• As I mentioned in my last newsletter using harissa, this is a North African red pepper paste that is just bursting with flavor. You can generally find spicy and mild versions, so choose whichever one you prefer. I tend to prefer the mild ones because I can build in lots of flavor without making a dish overly spicy. I love the brand Mina.

• Pappardelle and ragu feel like a match made in heaven to me, but use whatever pasta shape you want/have on hand!

• That being said, I’ve found that pappardelle is the one type of pasta that is packaged in very varying weights depending on what brand you buy. Eight ounces, 10 ounces, 12 ounces, 16 ounces — no rhyme or reason! I used about 12 ounces and the noodle to sauce ratio was great. You could definitely do more, you just might want to add a little more pasta water to the sauce to thin it out.

• You might also like my harissa chicken and couscous, my lemony bacon, leek, and rosemary shells, my creamy, spicy red pepper pasta alla gin, and my creamy sausage and eggplant bucatini.

The recipe

Serves: 4

Ready in: 45 minutes