Course : Mains | Cuisine: Italian | Servings : 2 persons | Cook Time : 30 mins
Creamy Tomato, Mushroom & Turkey Rigatoni with Spinach & Chilli
Comfort food doesn’t have to be complicated. This Creamy Tomato, Mushroom & Turkey Rigatoni combines Riverside turkey mince with earthy mushrooms, rich tomato sauce, baby spinach and a touch of chilli.
Inspired by the original red wine, mushroom and beef rigatoni recipe, the Riverside version swaps beef mince for Riverside 3% turkey mince and uses a rich stock and balsamic combination to add depth to the tomato sauce. The original recipe also combines rigatoni with tomato passata, mushrooms, spinach, sun-dried tomato paste, chilli flakes and hard Italian-style cheese.
The result is a hearty pasta dish that feels indulgent while remaining relatively simple to prepare — making it a useful recipe concept for pubs, casual dining, cafés and prepared meal operators.
Why use Riverside turkey mince?
Turkey mince is a particularly versatile ingredient for classic comfort-food dishes.
Riverside’s 3% fat turkey mince provides a lean alternative to traditional beef mince while taking on the rich tomato, mushroom, garlic and chilli flavours in the sauce.
It’s also halal certified as standard, manufactured without the use of antibiotics and supported by a single-source supply chain with farm-to-fork traceability.
Ingredients
- 500g Riverside halal 3% turkey mince
- 360g rigatoni
- 240g sliced mushrooms
- 500g tomato passata
- 50g sun-dried tomato paste
- 100g baby spinach
- 80g hard Italian-style cheese, finely grated
- 30g butter
- 2 tsp chilli flakes, or to taste
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 rich chicken or beef-style stock pot/paste
- 100ml water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Method
Cook the pasta
Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the rigatoni and cook according to the packet instructions until al dente. Before draining, reserve around 150ml of the pasta cooking water. Drain the pasta and set aside.
Fry the turkey and mushrooms
Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Add the turkey mince and sliced mushrooms. Break up the mince as it cooks and fry for approximately 5–6 minutes, until the turkey is browned and cooked through and the mushrooms have softened. Season with salt and black pepper.
Build the sauce
Add the tomato passata, sun-dried tomato paste, stock paste and balsamic vinegar. Stir thoroughly and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3–4 minutes, allowing the sauce to reduce slightly and the flavours to develop.
Add the spinach
Add the baby spinach to the sauce and stir until wilted. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a splash of the reserved pasta water.
Bring everything together
Add the cooked rigatoni to the pan and toss thoroughly so the pasta is coated in the tomato and turkey sauce. Stir through the butter and grated Italian-style cheese. Add the chilli flakes and adjust the amount according to the desired level of heat. Serve
