Gordon Ramsay’s turkey and leek pasta is minced turkey leg with grated shallots and sage, tossed in double cream with Parmesan. Crispy sage breadcrumbs go on top. The recipe comes from Ramsay in 10 and cooks in about 10 minutes with fresh fusilli.
Ramsay writes that this has become “a regular midweek family meal” at his house, and the headnote says you can swap in chicken mince or sausage meat. In Quick and Delicious he insists on thigh mince over breast for any quick turkey dish.
The technique that sets this apart is blanching the leeks in the pasta water rather than frying them in the pan. They soften without losing their sweetness, then drain with the fusilli and go straight into the cream sauce.
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Gordon Ramsay’s Turkey and Leek Pasta
Course: Pasta, DinnerCuisine: British, ItalianDifficulty: Easy4
servings5
minutes10
minutes580
kcal15 minutes
A one-pan turkey cream sauce with leeks blanched in the pasta water, from Ramsay in 10. Ramsay also cooks this on his YouTube series where he adds chilli, swaps fusilli for tagliatelle and finishes the pasta in the sauce rather than draining it separately.
Ingredients
- For the pasta:
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
2 banana shallots (or 4 regular), peeled and grated
3 garlic cloves, peeled and grated
4 sage leaves
400g (14 oz) minced (ground) turkey leg
2 leeks, finely sliced
480g (17 oz) fresh fusilli or penne
200ml (scant 1 cup) double (heavy) cream
Small handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
Zest of 1 lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Freshly grated Parmesan, to serve
- For the crispy sage breadcrumbs (optional):
2 tbsp olive oil
2 sage leaves, finely sliced
6 tbsp fresh breadcrumbs
Directions
- Boil the water: Fill the kettle and bring to the boil. Pour into a large saucepan, season with salt and bring back to a rolling boil.
- Fry the base: Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan over medium-high heat. Grate the shallots and garlic into the pan and cook for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Brown the turkey: Add the sage leaves and turkey mince, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon. Cook for 3–4 minutes until lightly browned all over.
- Cook the leeks and pasta: Finely slice the leeks and add to the boiling water for 1 minute. Add the fusilli, stir to separate and cook for 2 minutes or per packet instructions.
- Add the cream: Pour the double cream into the turkey pan, stir to combine and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer until the pasta is ready.
- Make the sage breadcrumbs (optional): Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a separate frying pan over medium heat. Finely slice the sage, add with the breadcrumbs and fry until crisp and golden brown.
- Combine and finish: Drain the pasta and leeks, keeping 2–3 tbsp of the cooking water. Toss into the sauce with chopped parsley, lemon zest, salt and pepper. Divide between four bowls, top with sage breadcrumbs, Parmesan and a drizzle of olive oil.
Notes
- The book says you can swap the turkey for chicken mince or sausage meat, and the sage for thyme, parsley or tarragon. Any shape of fresh or dried pasta works, though dried adds 10 minutes to the total time.
FAQs
Is this made with ground turkey or leftover turkey?
Fresh minced turkey, not leftovers. Ramsay uses turkey leg mince because thigh carries more flavour and fat than breast. It stays juicy in quick dishes like this and the turkey meatballs where the lean mince needs egg and Worcestershire to hold together.
In the YouTube video he shows a freezer trick worth stealing. He chills the mince for five minutes so it crumbles through his fingers instead of clumping, then spreads it across the hot pan. One big lump would drop the temperature and steam the meat instead of browning it.
Does this turkey pasta really take 10 minutes?
With fresh pasta, yes. Fresh fusilli cooks in about 90 seconds, which is why the whole Ramsay in 10 series is built around it. The sauce comes together while the water boils, so everything finishes at the same time.
Dried pasta changes the maths though. A packet fusilli needs 10-12 minutes on its own, which pushes the total closer to 20. The spaghetti bolognese needs even longer to simmer, which is exactly why Ramsay says to skip it on busy nights and make this cream sauce instead.
What are the crispy sage breadcrumbs?
They’re the optional topping that takes this from a simple cream pasta to something with real crunch. The book keeps it straightforward: olive oil, chopped sage and breadcrumbs fried in a pan until golden. In the video Ramsay adds butter first and lets it froth, then seasons it before tipping in the breadcrumbs for a richer flavour.
The sage goes in last so it stays fragrant instead of burning out. Roll the leaves tight, slice them thin and stir through the crispy crumbs right at the end. They sit on top of each bowl like a crunchy lid that cracks open when you dig your fork in.
Can you use tagliatelle instead of fusilli?
Ramsay uses both, so yes. The book calls for fresh fusilli or penne, while the video shows him cooking thin tagliatelle instead.
Each shape holds the sauce differently though. Fusilli traps cream and turkey inside its spirals, so every bite carries the full flavour. Tagliatelle wraps around the leeks and mince instead, giving you longer strands coated rather than little pockets of filling.
Does Ramsay add chilli to his turkey and leek pasta?
Not in the book. The Ramsay in 10 recipe has no chilli at all, relying on sage, lemon zest and black pepper for its lift. But in the video he adds a touch with the shallots, calling it “a little bit of a lift.”
The video also changes how he handles the garlic, slicing it into chunky pieces rather than grating because thin garlic burns and goes bitter. If you want pasta where chilli runs the whole dish, the chilli prawn linguine builds the sauce around garlic, red chilli and manzanilla sherry.
Does turkey and leek pasta keep well?
Best eaten straight away because the cream sauce thickens as it cools and the fusilli absorbs it. You can refrigerate leftovers in a sealed container for one day, but the texture will not be the same.
Reheat gently in a pan with a splash of water or milk to loosen the sauce back up. The sage breadcrumbs lose their crunch overnight though, so make a fresh batch if you are eating this the next day.
