One of the things I like about this recipe is, as with other big pot recipes, you don’t have to be too precise on measurements. This meal is very low in fat, has a good proportion of vegetables, and is high in fiber. You can easily make this a day or two ahead of time, then simply reheat (stir occasionally over medium-low heat if reheating on a stove top.)

For the bulgur wheat, I used to use a box of Near East wheat pilaf (without the flavor packet), but nowadays Near East doesn’t seem to make it anymore, but it’s much easier to find separately.

It may seem like a lot, but it’s pretty easy, especially with the food processor. Basically, chop veggies then cook; chop the turkey then cook; mix and cook to finish.
(TBS = Tablespoon, tsp = teaspoon)

EQUIPMENT:

• A soup pot or Dutch oven.
• Lid for the pot.
• Food processor
• 1 large bowl.

INGREDIENTS:

1. The Vegetable Base
   • 3 to 4 large carrots
   • 3 to 4 large celery stalks
   • 1 large onion, peeled
   • 1 bell pepper (any color)
   • 1 to 2 cloves of garlic, peeled
   • 2 TBS of olive oil
   • 1 can of crushed tomatoes (divided)
2. The Turkey Base
   • 1 lb. of ground turkey breast 99% lean (or leanest you can find)
   • 6 oz. bulgur wheat
   • 1 can tomato paste
   • 10-12 oz of red wine (about a cup and a half)
   • 3 TBS of brown sugar
   • 1 tsp of salt

INSTRUCTIONS:

FOR THE VEGETABLE BASE:

• Clean the carrots and celery.
• Remove stem and seeds from the bell pepper.
• To make food processing easier, chop the onions, carrots, pepper, and celery into roughly 1-inch pieces, and cut the garlic cloves in half.
• Place into a food processor.
• Pulse around 12 times to chop the ingredients, then process for about 30-40 seconds until everything chopped fine.

• Add the olive oil to the pot and let heat to shimmering on a medium-high heat.
• Add the vegetables.
• Let them sit for a minute to heat up, then stir occasionally until onion bits are translucent.
• Add 1/2 can of the crushed tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or so until bubbling.
• Transfer the contents of the pot into a bowl, removing as much as you can.

FOR THE TURKEY BASE:

• Chop the ground turkey into small pieces.
• Heat the pot on medium-high.
• Add the bulgur wheat into the pot and blend in the tomato paste, and continually stir.
  (Your goal is to get a little caramelization on the tomato paste so it becomes fragrant. A tiny amount of singeing is not a bad thing here. Also, don’t worry about anything sticking.)
• Add the turkey breast.
  (Do not worry if the turkey clumps up.)
• Cook, stirring for about 2 minutes.
• Add roughly half of the red wine.
• Stir and use the spoon to break up the ingredients.
• Add in the rest of the red wine.
• Bring to a boil on high heat, then lower to medium heat and cook stirring occasionally for 10-15 minutes.
  
• Stir in the rest of the tomatoes, brown sugar, and salt.
• Continue to cook for 5 minutes.
• Now add the the vegetable base and stir to combine everything.
• Cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  (The mixture will begin to bubble so you may need to put a lid on.)
• After the 10 minutes taste to ensure there is no alcohol flavor.
  (Also, if you feel it needs it, add more brown sugar and/or salt to suit your taste. I like it as is).
• Turn off the heat and allow to cool down to warm.

This is best served on Kaiser rolls, but is also excellent in pita (pocket) bread, or rolled in a lettuce leaf, just out of a bowl, or give it a burrito treatment. The mixture continues to thicken as it cools and reheats well in a microwave.

VARIATIONS:
I once made a vegan version by chopping portobello mushrooms into 1/2 inch pieces then cooked down to 1/4 inch or smaller (removing as much water as I could) ahead of time, then swapped it out for the turkey breast during the step when the turkey is added. Since the mushrooms are cooked, you can immediately move to the next step.

I’ve also snuck in a couple of cups of spinach into the vegetables, during the food processing step, for friends whose kids “don’t like vegetables”.