With spring come thoughts of all things green, including cabbage and St. Patrick's Day. You can create your own healthy and unique dish to celebrate the wearing of green by pairing green cabbage with ground turkey to make a mouthwatering ragout.

The term ragout (pronounced ra-GOO), derived from the French verb ragouter, means "to stimulate the appetite." It is characterized by a thick, satisfying, well-seasoned stew of meat or poultry with vegetables, which has been a favorite for years, dating back to the 1600s in France.

Whether you use a food processor or chop the cabbage yourself, this cancer-fighting vegetable combines perfectly with onion, garlic, carrots, celery and bell peppers to produce a mixture full of fresh garden flavor. The vinegar adds just the right amount of acidity and the red pepper adds a dash of zest.

This ragout is easy to make and durable. It won't suffer, for example, if you leave it on the stove during dinner. This can be a great feature if you are having a St. Patrick's Day party because you can serve guests who may be arriving at different times. Be sure to prepare some extra because it makes great leftovers on the second day after the flavors have mingled and mellowed.

Cabbage and Turkey Ragout

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Yield: Makes 6 servings.

Ingredients

  • 1 lb. ground turkey
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 6 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 medium carrots, thinly sliced
  • 2 medium stalks celery, thinly sliced
  • 2 medium green bell peppers, diced
  • 1 small green cabbage, chopped
  • 1 (28 oz.) can no salt added diced tomatoes
  • 3/4 cup reduced-fat, reduced-sodium chicken broth
  • 1 Tbsp. vinegar
  • 1 tsp. dried thyme
  • 1 tsp. dried basil
  • 1/4 tsp. cayenne or red pepper, or to taste
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. In large pot over medium-high heat saute turkey, onion, garlic, carrots, celery and peppers about 12-14 minutes or until turkey is no longer pink.
  2. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and bring to a boil. Uncover and let simmer about 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
  3. Serve hot over whole-wheat wide noodles.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:
203 calories
7 g total fat
2 g saturated fat
21 g carbohydrate
18 g protein
6 g dietary fiber
208 mg sodium