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    Recipes » Main Dish » Healthy Turkey Bolognese Recipe

    Healthy Turkey Bolognese Recipe

    Jan 17, 2022 · Last updated: Oct 5, 2022 by Gina Dickson · This post may contain affiliate links. Read our disclosure policy.

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    Pin for pinterest graphic for Turkey bolognese recipe.

    Ragu bolognese sauce, a meat-based sauce originating from the area of Bologna, Italy, is made with wine, tomatoes, celery, and onions. This healthier version of a classic bolognese sauce cooks up with ground turkey meat instead of beef or pork. Serve up this healthy turkey bolognese recipe with freshly cooked tagliatelle for a bowl of pasta that brings visions of a sweet Italian grandma simmering up a batch for her loved ones and eating it just makes you feel good. 

    Turkey bolognese recipe on a plate with chili pepper seeds and parmesan in bowls by it.
    PIN THIS RECIPE FOR LATER

    This turkey bolognese recipe is full of rich flavors making it a comfort food recipe perfect for hearty yet healthy meals. This bolognese recipe was inspired by another Italian classic recipe, Toscana Zuppa Soup, here on the site.

    For a delicious bread to go along with your Ragu Bolognese be sure and try my Italian Cheesy Pull-Apart Bread. And don’t forget a simple green salad with Homemade Zesty Italian Seasoning to complete this healthy meal that’s sure to be a hit with your family and friends.

    If serving up this turkey bolognese recipe as part of a dinner party, don't forget to start off the meal with some delicious Green Marinated Sicilian Olives and this Authentic Italian Almond Biscotti with a fresh brewed espresso following dinner.

    😊 Why this recipe works

    • It’s a healthy meat sauce that is way better than your basic marinara sauce.
    • It’s easy to prepare in advance for future use to create delicious dinner meals throughout the week.
    • A mostly hands-off Italian meat sauce makes it easy to serve during the week.

    🛒 Ingredient notes

    While a good bolognese sauce takes time to make, it’s prepared from fresh, easy-to-find ingredients found in your local grocery store.

    Turkey bolognese recipe ingredients on the counter.
    • Extra virgin olive oil: For best flavor, choose moderate to good quality extra virgin olive oil when cooking classic Italian meals. 
    • Onion: White or yellow onion is best to use when cooking sauces.
    • Garlic: For the best flavor, make this recipe with fresh garlic and not garlic powder.
    • Carrot: Adding diced carrot to the base of the sauce is one of the major differences between regular spaghetti sauce and a bolognese sauce.
    • Celery stalk: Along with the carrot, finely diced celery is added to the base of the sauce giving it a slightly different flavor than other Italian tomato sauces.
    • Ground turkey meat: Choose lean ground turkey with only 7% fat for the healthiest ragu bolognese. 
    • Canned stewed tomatoes: Using this chunky canned tomato product means slightly less cooking time since the tomatoes are already partially cooked.
    • Fresh parsley: Adds more fresh flavor to the sauce and makes a great addition to sprinkle over the top before serving.
    • Fresh basil, thyme, and rosemary: Making bolognese sauce with fresh herbs adds a lot of flavor and makes an incredible difference in how this healthy meat sauce tastes.
    • Salt and freshly ground black pepper: Enhances the flavor, but you can easily adjust to your tastes.

    See the recipe card further down on the page for a complete list and quantities for each ingredient.

    🔪 Step by step instructions

    Follow along to see how easy it is to make this slow-cooked healthy meat sauce in just a few simple steps.

    Cooking the onions, garlic and other vegetables to make turkey bolognese recipe.
    1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic, sauteeing until the onion is soft, about 4 minutes.

    2. Add the celery and carrot, continuing to cook over medium heat for 5 more minutes, stirring frequently.

    Cooked turkey in pan to make turkey bolognese recipe and then the fresh herbs are added on top of meat.

    3. When the vegetables are tender, increase to medium-high heat and add the ground turkey meat. Use a 5 blade meat chopper or the side of a wooden spoon to break up the meat, cook until turkey meat is browned and no longer pink inside.

    Use a spoon to drain grease from the large pan of turkey meat. Add a paper towel to soak up any grease left, then discard.

    4. Add the chopped parsley, basil, thyme and, rosemary to the cooked meat and saute for 1 minute.

    Tomatoes in blender and tomatoes on top of cooked turkey meat to make turkey bolognese recipe.

    5. Blend stewed tomatoes in a food processor or blender until they are mostly smooth with small chunks.

    6. Add the tomatoes to the pot and cook the sauce over medium heat for about 20 - 30 minutes, stirring frequently to allow the excess liquid to evaporate. 

    Give it a taste and add salt and pepper before serving.

    Serve up ragu bolognese over your favorite pasta and top with grated Romano cheese or parmesan cheese.

    ⭐ Hint: Easily cook ground beef and ground turkey with this multi-functional meat chopper utensil

    ✔️ Substitutions

    Here are a couple of easy substitutions for ingredients in case you don't have everything on hand or want to swap some things out.

    • Stewed tomatoes: Swap out the stewed tomatoes with canned whole tomatoes or crushed tomatoes. When making this swap you will need to cook the sauce for additional time since these varieties of canned tomatoes are not cooked in advance.
    • Ground turkey: This healthy bolognese sauce can also be made with lean ground beef.

    🔀 Variations

    Here are a couple of quick ideas for changing up this thick rich sauce to create a variety of meals.

    • Low-carb option: Serve up your turkey bolognese sauce over cooked spaghetti squash for a healthy dinner with fewer carbs.
    • Zestier sauce: Add in a sprinkle of crushed red chili flakes to add a little bit of heat to the sauce.

    💭 Tips for making the recipe

    • Be sure to remove as much of the oil as possible from the pan after cooking the meat so the sauce doesn’t end up too greasy.
    • Use a meat smasher or chopper to quickly and easily break up the meat in the pan.
    • Serve up with perfectly cooked al dente pasta for a healthy meal the whole family will enjoy!  

    🥖 Don’t forget the garlic bread to soak up all the juices in the bowl!

    ❓ FAQ

    Can I freeze turkey bolognese sauce?

    If you prepare this recipe for meal prep or have some leftover sauce you can store it in the freezer for up to three months. For best results, allow the sauce to cool completely before storing it in an airtight container in the freezer.

    What’s the best pasta to serve with turkey bolognese?

    Traditionally, bolognese sauce is served with tagliatelle, a thick-width noodle made with egg but any type of noodle works great with it or you can even use short kinds of pasta such as rigatoni, penne, or rotini.

    Turkey bolognese recipe on a plate with chili pepper seeds and parmesan in bowls by it.

    More Classic Italian Recipes for Dinner

    • Italian Dinner Party Recipes
    • Fresh Tomato Salad With Italian Herbs
    • Homemade Zesty Italian Seasoning Mix and Dressing
    • Bread Salad

    If you love this recipe, please give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

    Turkey bolognese recipe on a plate with chili pepper seeds and parmesan in bowls by it.

    Healthy Turkey Bolognese Recipe

    Gina Dickson
    This classic Italian turkey bolognese recipe makes a hearty and healthy sauce to serve up with your favorite pasta. Tomatoes are slow cooked with onions, garlic, celery, carrots and lots of fresh herbs for a pasta dinner eveyone will love!

    Note:

    To save you ink, video and equipment images will not print.

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    Tap to prevent your screen from going dark while making this recipe.
    Prep Time 10 mins
    Cook Time 45 mins
    Total Time 55 mins
    Course Main Dish
    Cuisine Italian
    Servings 6
    Calories 333 kcal

    Equipment

    Meat Chopper Utensil

    Ingredients
      

    • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
    • 1/2 cup onion finely chopped
    • 2 cloves garlic peeled and finely chopped
    • 14 cup carrot finely chopped
    • 1/4 cup celery stalk finely chopped
    • 1 pound ground turkey 93% meat 7% fat
    • 28 ounces stewed tomatoes blended in a mixer so there are not any large chunks
    • 1/4 cup parsley fresh, chopped
    • 1/4 cup basil fresh, chopped
    • 1 tablespoon thyme fresh, stems removed
    • 1 tablespoon rosemary fresh, chopped fine
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 teaspoon pepper freshly ground

    Need an ingredient to make this recipe? Click this Instacart button and get what you need sent right to you.

    Instructions
     

    • In a large skillet heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic. Sautee until onion is soft, about 4 minutes.
    • Add the celery and carrot. Sautee over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
    • Raise heat to medium-high and add the ground turkey meat. Using a 5 blade meat chopper. Cook until turkey meat is browned and no longer pink inside.
    • Drain any grease from the turkey meat with a spoon. Add a paper towel to soak up any grease left, then discard.
    • Add parsley, basil, thyme and, rosemary to the cooked meat. Saute for 1 minute.
    • Blend stewed tomatoes in a mixer unlit they are mostly smooth with small chunks.
    • Cook over medium heat until the excess liquid is evaporated. This should take about 20 to 30 minutes. Stir frequently.
    • Add salt and pepper
    • Pour bolognese over your favorite pasta and top with grated Ramano cheese or parmesan cheese.

    Need an item in the this recipe? Click the Instacart button and have it sent right to you.

    Notes

    Be sure to remove as much of the oil as possible from the pan after cooking the meat so the sauce doesn’t end up too greasy.
    Use a meat smasher or chopper to quickly and easily break up the meat in the pan.
    Serve up with perfectly cooked al dente pasta for a healthy meal the whole family will enjoy!  
    Don’t forget the garlic bread to soak up all the juices in the bowl!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1gCalories: 333kcalCarbohydrates: 39gProtein: 22gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 42mgSodium: 931mgPotassium: 1519mgFiber: 10gSugar: 19gVitamin A: 50492IUVitamin C: 35mgCalcium: 168mgIron: 4mg
    Share Your CreationTag @intentionalhospitality and hashtag #intentionalhospitality so I can see what you made. Don’t forget to leave a star rating.

    Update Notes: This post was originally published in 2015, but was republished with new photos, step-by-step instructions, and tips, in January of 2022.

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    About Gina Dickson

    Hey y'all, I am here to help you build community and nurture faith around your table. You will find fun party ideas and delicious recipes for easy-to-make meals and party food. I want to help you create a table where people come together, enjoy a meal and linger with good conversation.

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