BEST-EVER HEALTHY TURKEY BOLOGNESE SAUCE RECIPE

Last Update: 12/13/2024

This healthy turkey Bolognese sauce recipe is so good, your family will think an Italian nonna made it. And they’d be almost right.

I learned how to make classic Bolognese sauce from my Italian nonna. And I sure miss Sunday dinners at my grandparent's house where we indulged in the most delicious Italian dishes all day long. I am still convinced my nonna’s meatballs were the best in the world!

Authentic Bolognese sauce was a staple, and it took my nonna days to prepare. If you’re like me, that is not an option, and this easy Bolognese sauce will save you hours in the kitchen!

Healthy turkey Bolognese sauce with spaghetti and Parmesan cheese

Why You’ll Love This Healthy Turkey Bolognese Recipe

It’s Delicious

You’ll love the taste of this yummy meaty sauce!

My picky mom who grew up on my nonna’s authentic Bolognese sauce even gives it an enthusiastic thumbs up!

It’s Quick and Easy

This meat sauce recipe only takes about 30 minutes prep time, and 15 minutes to simmer. It cuts hours off of the traditional cooking time! This is perfect for a weeknight dinner the whole family will love!

It’s Healthy

I ran a gourmet healthy meal service in Los Angeles for 14 years and this is the recipe we used. It’s lower in fat than beef Bolognese and even incorporates vegetables. It was one of our most requested meals, especially for families!

It Has Authentic Roots

Traditional Bolognese sauce is the most famous food from Bologna. And I’m not the first one to include veggies (or milk) in my ragù (sauce); the Italians have been doing it for hundreds of years!

Turkey Bolognese vs. Beef Bolognese

Turkey bolognese tossed with pasta and garnished with basil — Turkey Bolognese tossed with pasta and garnished with fresh basil

I use ground turkey because it’s lower in fat and cholesterol than ground beef, and I prefer not to eat a lot of red meat.

But, although this recipe is firmly rooted in Italian traditions, if you visit Bologna, Italy, you will not see turkey ragù on any menus.

However, some restaurants in Bologna do add pork. After all, Bologna is located in Italy’s food valley Emilia-Romagna, the food capital of Italy, where they raise special pigs and are rightfully proud of their amazing pork products.

Fun Italian food fact: In Bologna, you also won’t see spaghetti Bolognese! Ragù Bolognese, or just ragù as they call it, most often comes with tagliatelle pasta or is baked in lasagna.

So, since Americans have already done the unthinkable by pairing spaghetti with Bolognese, I am perfectly comfortable using ground turkey in my healthy Bolognese sauce.

Turkey Bolognese Ingredients

Here are a few tips in choosing the main ingredients. They are mostly the same as for a traditional Bolognese recipe.

Ingredients for our easy turkey Bolognese are pretty simple.

Veggies

Use fresh raw veggies. Don’t try to jump-start the cooking process with store-bought shredded carrots. The pieces are too large, and the carrots too hard.

You can chop the veggies in a food processor by pulsing each vegetable separately. If you start with the garlic, then move onto onion, celery, and finally the carrots, you do not need to wash the processor in between pulsing each of the vegetables.

Ground Turkey

For health reasons, I prefer lean ground turkey. In addition, the meat tends to stay soft, so it makes a really good Bolognese sauce.

If you prefer beef, it’s just a simple substitution of ground beef for ground turkey.

Tomato Puree

If you can find a tomato puree made with San Marzano tomatoes, that’s the way to go.

Do not substitute tomato puree with tomato sauce or tomato paste. Tomato sauce is basically marinara sauce and already has seasonings added, and tomato paste is too concentrated.

If you prefer a chunky tomato base, you can use diced or crushed tomatoes.

Milk

I find that 1% low-fat milk adds just enough depth of flavor without adding a lot of fat to your pasta sauce.

Even if you’re not watching calories, I don’t recommend using heavy cream.

Basil

Fresh herbs like basil will always be added at the end of a recipe. If you need to use dried basil, add it when you add the oregano.

Parmesan Cheese

Splurge for the king of Italian cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano. So many classic recipes from Bologna call for this cheese for good reason.

Pro tip: I always keep my Parmesan cheese rinds and throw them into soups for extra flavor.

HEALTHY TURKEY BOLOGNESE RECIPE

Servings: 8
Ingredients

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1½ tablespoons garlic, minced
1 cup onion, minced
½ cup celery, minced
1 cup carrot, minced
½ teaspoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2 pounds lean ground turkey
6 cups tomato puree
1 cup low-fat milk (1% fat)
8 leaves fresh basil, chopped
Parmesan cheese (optional)

Instructions

1. Heat olive oil in a deep pan on medium-high heat.
2. Add onions, carrots, celery, and garlic to pan, and coat in olive oil.
3. Sprinkle oregano, salt, and pepper into the pan and sauté until vegetables are soft.

cooking the veggies for healthy turkey Bolognese sauce — Cooking the veggies for healthy turkey Bolognese sauce

4. Add ground turkey and break up large pieces with spatula.
5. When turkey is cooked through, stir in the tomato puree with a wooden spoon.

Continue to break up turkey as it cooks.

6. After 2–3 minutes, when your sauce comes to a boil, simmer on low heat for about 15 minutes.
7. Stir in milk, and continue to simmer until desired temperature.

The sauce will be thick, so it doesn’t need to simmer long.

8. Stir in chopped basil.
9. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with Parmesan as desired. Or, plate over cooked pasta.

Tips for Serving Pasta Bolognese

The traditional pasta is tagliatelle, but you can use whatever pasta you’d like, or none at all.

1. Start heating a large pot of salted water when you start your sauce. When the water comes to a boil, turn it off. Turn it back on when you start to simmer the Bolognese.

2. For an option healthier than regular pasta, try brown rice pasta or whole wheat pasta.

3. For a low-carb option, you can replace pasta with veggies. It’s a lighter version, and you’ll sneak some extra healthy veggies into your meal with zucchini noodles or spaghetti squash.

4. To add a little bit of a kick to your easy turkey sauce, red pepper flakes are the best option.

Meal Prep and Storage Tips

These tips will work whether you have leftover turkey Bolognese or are meal prepping ahead of time. So, making a double batch is always a good idea!

1. You can fully prepare healthy turkey Bolognese and store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days—or in the freezer for at least a month!

2. This delicious meal also reheats very well, even when the sauce is tossed with pasta. If the latter is the case, either microwaving at short intervals at a time or heating the pasta and sauce together in a pan on medium heat will work.

3. If the pasta is kept separate from the sauce, a great way to reheat the pasta is to just dunk it into boiling water.

I hope you love this healthy turkey Bolognese sauce! If you try this recipe, please let me know what you think of it in the comments below.

Best-Ever Healthy Turkey Bolognese Sauce Recipe