Healthy Turkey Bolognese Sauce
Who doesn’t love a hearty bowl of slowly simmered meat sauce tossed with pasta and freshly grated cheese? My Healthy Spaghetti Bolognese, which uses ground turkey, is healthier than traditional bolognese without sacrificing any of the rich flavor.
Servings: 6
Calories: 266kcal
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 teaspoon salt, divided
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- ½ cup milk, 2% or whole
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon chopped, fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and pepper flakes and sauté until vegetables are softened but not browned.
- Add the turkey and season with ½ teaspoon salt. Break the meat up with a wooden spoon as it cooks. Once it is browned, stir in the tomato paste. Cook a minute or two. Add the milk and simmer a few minutes until it is completely reduced. Add the wine and cook another minute or two. Stir in the tomatoes, thyme, bay leaf, ½ teaspoon salt and pepper.
- Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer over low heat. Simmer uncovered, on low heat, stirring occasionally to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pan, at least 30 minutes until the sauce is thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired.
- Serve the turkey bolognese sauce with your favorite pasta. Toss the sauce with the cooked pasta and top with freshly grated parmesan cheese.
Notes
- Use a wine that you enjoy drinking since the flavor will concentrate and it will impact the taste of the finished sauce.
- Adding milk to the sauce makes it silky and balances out the acidity from the tomatoes.
- To save time, chop your veggies in a mini food processor.
- Toss the bolognese sauce with your favorite pasta like tagliatelle or spaghetti. Add a little pasta water as needed to coat the strands of pasta. Top with grated parmesan cheese before serving.
- For a low carb option, serve the sauce with zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.
- Make a double batch of this recipe and freeze it for a future meal. Bolognese sauce freezes beautifully!
Nutrition
Serving: 0g | Calories: 266kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 732mg | Potassium: 825mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 2367IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 113mg | Iron: 3mg