Ground Turkey Bolognese (Easy and Healthy)

Top down view of turkey bolognese with pasta in pink bowl with fork.

Ground Turkey Bolognese (Easy and Healthy)

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.

Course Main

Cuisine Italian fusion

Prep Time 20

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1 10

Servings servings

Calories 553kcal

Author Monika Dabrowski

Equipment

Large pan with lid
Medium sized pot

Ingredients

1½ pounds ground turkey 7-10% fat
1 medium onion finely chopped
1½-2 celery ribs finely chopped
1 carrot med./l., peeled, finely diced
3 garlic cloves finely chopped
2 cups passata
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1⅓ teaspoons Italian herbs
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon soy sauce
½ cup white wine regular or alcohol free
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons milk
Sea salt and pepper to taste I recommend multi-coloured peppercorns
11.29 ounces dried pasta tagliatelle, penne, rigatoni etc

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

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.
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.
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.
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).
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.

Notes

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 ragu sauce is fully cooked.
Refrigerate leftover ground turkey bolognese 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.
Nutritional information includes the pasta.

Nutrition