This Healthy Turkey Bolognese Recipe aka Turkey Meat Sauce is quick, easy, healthy, and so delicious! Ground turkey (or meat of choice) is cooked with onion, carrots, celery, garlic, spices: basil, Italian seasonings, salt, pepper, and nutmeg – tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken broth!

General
How to make
Get the recipe
Frequently Asked Questions
Pairing suggestions
Making in crockpot
Using ground chicken
Nutrition information
Ingredients
How to Store

If you love this recipe, you’d also love: turkey meatballs, healthy alfredo sauce, and healthy chicken chili mac!

I LOVE pasta and red sauce.

Any kind of noodle + the 99 cent jar of spaghetti sauce and I’m a happy camper.

Please don’t judge me. 😉

We have a food blog, so there’s always food around.

But sometimes.

You just need a big ‘ol bowl of noodles smothered in sauce, amiright?!

But don’t worry, today’s recipe isn’t:

“Step 1: boil noodles
Step 2: toss with sauce” . . .

it’s healthier, *almost* as easy, and oh my GOSH so delicious.

Enter: turkey bolognese.

How do you make a healthy turkey bolognese sauce aka a turkey meat sauce?

You guys. This turkey bolognese is soooooo easy.

Heat a touch of olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat
Stir in lean ground turkey, yellow onion, carrot, celery, garlic, dried basil, italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and nutmeg
Cook until the meat has cooked through and the carrots are cooked to your liking
Stir in tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, and chicken broth
Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 30 minutes

That’s it! How easy is that?! Plus, helllloo healthy delicious. I LOVE the lean ground turkey with all those amazing veggies and spices.

If you have picky kids, chop the veggies really small and I swear to you, you won’t even taste them!

What do i serve this turkey meat sauce with?

The serving options for this turkey meat sauce are endless. You can serve this with:

Traditional pasta – any shape works!
Gnocchi (pictured) – I used a whole wheat sweet potato variety <– YUM
Veggie noodles – zoodles (zucchini noodles), swoodles (sweet potato noodles), spaghetti squash, etc.
Mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower
And more!

What would YOU serve this healthy turkey bolognese with?

Can i make this turkey bolognese in the slow cooker?

Probably! I haven’t tested it, but I imagine if you cooked the turkey on the stove in the olive oil, then threw the cooked meat + all the other ingredients into a greased slow cooker, it would come out delicious!

I’d suggest cooking on low for 6-8 hours. If you give it a try, let me know in the comments below!

Can i use ground chicken to make this chicken bolognese?

Absolutely! I personally just love the taste of turkey in this recipe, but feel free to use chicken!

You could also use beef or pork, but then this wouldn’t be quite as healthy. 😉

This sauce comes together in less than an hour and really is as simple as throwing some meat, veggies, and spices into a pot, adding a few more ingredients, and simmering until DELICIOUS.

Lean turkey, tender veggies, spices, and tomatoes make for a flavor bomb, healthy meat sauce.

Eat up!

– Jennifer