This turkey bolognese is a speedy dinner idea the whole family will enjoy. It is low in fat but has a deliciously rich flavour and comes together in under 30 minutes. You might also like my healthy turkey lasagna with vegetables.
This healthy turkey bolognese is simple to make and perfect as a weeknight dinner. It’s the most popular pasta dish at my house and one I tend to make more frequently than others. It’s super quick and easy to make, requires very little chopping and comes together in under 30 minutes. Even though turkey does not have rich flavour of beef or pork this dish is anything but bland thanks to the simple, but carefully selected combination of ingredients.
Turkey Bolognese sauce ingredients
- Turkey: Use ground turkey with approx. 7% fat. Anything leaner may turn out a little dry.
- Tomatoes: I used a combination of canned tomatoes, tomato paste and sun dried tomatoes to ensure my tomato sauce was rich and full of flavour. If the sauce is too thick add a splash of water from cooking the pasta.
- Extras: I like to stir a tablespoon of butter into my bolognese for added flavour but you can omit this step. I also use a bit of soy sauce for more depth, but you can add 0.5-1 teaspoon of Marmite (Vegemite) instead if you prefer. These 2 intensely savoury ingredients can infuse a dish with lots of extra flavour and I strongly recommend that you use one of them in this recipe. As they are very salty, however, I would refrain from adding extra seasoning until your dish is ready.
Equipment you’ll need
- Kitchen scale/measuring cup
- Chopping board and knife
- Large pan/casserole dish with lid, and spatula
- Pot (and strainer) for cooking the pasta
How to make turkey bolognese: step-by-step
1. In a large pan/shallow casserole dish heat up 3 tablespoons of oil, add the onion, garlic and celery and cook slowly for about 3 minutes until softened, stirring often. Add the wine and continue cooking for 2 more minutes.
2. Push the onion mixture to the side, add the meat and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring all the time to prevent large clusters from forming.
3. Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sun dried tomatoes, oregano, onion granules and 120 ml of water, stir, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. In the meantime cook the pasta in salted water according to packet instructions reserving some of the water from cooking (approx. 1/2 cup).
4. Remove the bolognese from the heat, add the butter, soy sauce and adjust seasoning as necessary. Add a splash of water from cooking the pasta if the sauce is too thick. Enjoy!
Top tips for making healthy turkey spaghetti bolognese
- After you’ve added the meat into the pan break it up as well as you can so it doesn’t cook in large clumps.
- Season the sauce once it’s cooked, not during cooking, to avoid making it too salty (if you also use either soy sauce or marmite).
- Reserve some of the water from cooking the pasta (approx. ½ cup) to add into your bolognese if it’s too thick (do this gradually once the sauce is fully cooked).
- Refrigerate leftover sauce for up to 3 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
More ground turkey recipes
- Meat Stuffed Eggplant Recipe (Turkey)
- Easy Stuffed Peppers with Turkey and Rice
- Healthy Moist Turkey Meatloaf with Parsley
- Quick and Easy Tortilla Bake
Keep in touch!
If you make this turkey bolognese sauce I’d love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!
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Easy Turkey Spaghetti Bolognese (Healthy)
Ingredients
- 400 g raw spaghetti
- 500 g ground turkey approx. 7% fat
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 garlic finely chopped
- 1/2 celery stalk finely chopped
- 400 g canned tomatoes
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 4 sun dried tomatoes in oil, finely chopped, alternatively use 1.5 tbsp sud dried tomato paste
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp onion granules
- 1 tbsp each: butter and soy sauce
- 3 tbsp white wine
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 120 ml water
- Sea salt and pepper to taste add at the end
Instructions
- In a large pan/shallow casserole dish heat up 3 tablespoons of oil, add the onion, garlic and celery and cook slowly for about 3 minutes until softened, stirring often. Add the wine and continue cooking for 2 more minutes.
- Push the onion mixture to the side, add the meat and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring all the time to prevent large clusters from forming.
- Add the tomatoes, tomato paste, sun dried tomatoes, oregano, onion granules and 120 ml of water, stir, cover and simmer for 15 minutes. In the meantime cook the pasta in salted water according to packet instructions reserving some of the water from cooking (approx. 1/2 cup).
- Remove the bolognese from the heat, add the butter, soy sauce and adjust seasoning as necessary. Add a splash of water from cooking the pasta if the sauce is too thick. Enjoy!
Notes
- After you’ve added the meat into the pan break it up as well as you can so it doesn’t cook in large clumps.
- Season the sauce once it’s cooked, not during cooking, to avoid making it too salty (if you also use either soy sauce or marmite).
- Reserve some of the water from cooking the pasta (approx. ½ cup) to add into your bolognese if it’s too thick (do this gradually once the sauce is fully cooked).
- Refrigerate leftover sauce for up to 3 days.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is automatically generated and should be considered as an estimate.
Hi, I am Monika, welcome to Everyday Healthy Recipes! This blog is all about creatively simple recipes with a healthy twist, old classics with a modern take, and an occasional Polish dish thrown into the mix - all easy to make, healthy and delicious, perfect for everyday cooking. 
Thanks Dave, Happy New Year to you too!
Looks like a great meal! And Happy New Year!! I've never had Marmite, but am excited to try it in this, so thanks for the recipe!