Turkey Bolognese Sauce (Healthy and Easy)

This turkey bolognese is made with ground turkey and simple vegetables for a rich, delicious and healthy pasta meal. It's low in saturated fat, easy to make and comes together much quicker than the classic beef version.

This turkey bolognese is a twist on the classic Italian style slow-cooked meat ragu sauce and an easy, delicious pasta meal the whole family will love. It involves browning ground turkey with a little soy sauce (for added depth) then adding simple sauteed vegetables, stock and passata and cooking it all together for a satisfying, delicious pasta sauce. This bolognese with turkey only takes about an hour to cook but is just as rich and flavourful as beef or pork ragu. It makes a perfect lasagna filling!

Although my easy turkey bolognese pasta sauce is quite 'meaty' it contains more tomato than classic Italian bolognese. I also used a small amount of dried herbs to inject more flavour into the sauce. I like to serve it with traditional tagliatelle pasta but you can use penne, rigatoni, fusilli or even spaghetti (a popular choice in western-style bolognese recipes).

Turkey bolognese ingredients and substitutions

• Ground turkey: see details below.
• Vegetables: onion, celery, garlic and carrot.
• Passata.
• Tomato paste.
• Herbs: I used Italian herbs, but you add a little oregano, instead, or even omit the herbs altogether.
• Stock: chicken or vegetable.
• White wine: either regular or alcohol free.
• Milk: cuts through the acidity and adds creaminess.
• Soy sauce: helps to brown the turkey and adds depth of flavour.
• Olive oil.
• Salt and pepper: I recommend using freshly ground multi-coloured peppercorns.

What type of turkey meat is best to use

The best meat to use in this turkey bolognese ragu sauce is ground turkey containing 7-10% fat. This is thigh (dark) meat, which becomes tender the longer it cooks absorbing all the other flavours in the dish. Extra lean turkey (breast meat) can become a little dry after an hour of simmering (despite cooking in a sauce) and I don't recommend using it (you can, potentially, shorten cooking time, but your ragu won't be as flavourful).

This recipe is not suitable for using leftover turkey (see my turkey rice casserole, instead).

Step-by-step recipe instructions

1. Brown turkey: Heat 1 tablespoon of oil, add the ground turkey and cook over a medium heat for a few minutes until the water is absorbed, stirring often (I like to use a potato masher to break up large clumps of meat). Add the soy sauce, increase the heat and cook for another minute or so until the meat is lightly browned. Transfer the meat to a bowl.

2. Sautee vegetables: To the same pan add another tablespoon of oil, bay leaf, onion, celery and carrot and cook gently for about 5 minutes until softened, stirring often. Towards the end stir in the garlic.

3. Add turkey: Return the turkey to the pan, add the herbs and wine then increase the heat and cook for 2-3 minutes stirring often.

4. Cook sauce: Add the passata, tomato paste, stock and a generous amount of freshly ground pepper. Stir, cover, bring to a simmer then cook gently for 50-60 minutes, until the meat is tender and the sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally.

TIP: About 10 minutes before the end of cooking boil the pasta in salted water according to packet instructions (I recommend al dente).

5. Serve: Remove the sauce from the heat, stir in 2 tablespoons of milk and adjust the seasoning, if required. Serve with freshly cooked pasta and a little parmesan cheese.

*Scroll down to the bottom of the post for a full, printable list of ingredients and instructions.

Serving suggestions

This turkey tomato bolognese sauce is delicious served over freshly cooked al dente pasta (such as tagliatelle, penne, rigatoni, fusilli or spaghetti) with a little parmesan, garlic bread or caesar salad. Other sides that pair well with this dish include broccoli or green beans as well as grilled or roasted vegetables, such as bell peppers, zucchini or eggplant.

Optional ingredients you can use

This easy ground turkey bolognese can be made with additional ingredients, which will allow you to adjust the flavour according to personal preference. Here are some examples of optional ingredients you can use:

• Smoked pancetta or bacon: finely chop and fry before adding the meat and then vegetables, as I have done in my turkey lasagna filling (omit the soy sauce).
• Smoked paprika: if you want a bit of smoky flavour without using bacon. Add a small amount at the end.
• Red pepper flakes: use at serving or add into the sauce.
• Cinnamon and/or nutmeg: both complement the flavour of turkey, but should be used sparingly.

Top tips for making turkey ragu

• For best results I recommend using dark turkey meat (7-10% fat) rather than ground turkey breast (extra lean).
• It's important to break up the meat as it cooks (I use a potato masher to do this).
• Start boiling the pasta about 10 minutes before your sauce is fully cooked.
• Refrigerate leftover turkey bolognese sauce for up to 4 days. You may want to add a splash of water to loosen the consistency when reheating the sauce.
• Freeze (without the pasta) for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight, reheat and serve with freshly cooked pasta.

Vegetarian bolognese recipes to try next

• Roasted Tofu Bolognese
• Easy Lentil Ragu (Vegan Bolognese)

Related recipes you might also like

• Turkey Shepherd's Pie with Vegetables
• Turkey Quinoa Meatballs in Tomato Sauce
• Quick and Easy Tortilla Bake

See also these other easy, delicious meal ideas!

Recipe

Keep in touch!

If you make this healthy turkey bolognese recipe I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

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