A simple, healthy turkey bolognese is an absolute MUST in the recipe arsenal. So here you go. THIS is that. It’s a one-pot meat sauce made with lean ground turkey, veggies, and San Marzano tomatoes, with 20 grams of protein in every cup.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
- Recipe Name: Weeknight Healthy Turkey Bolognese
- Serves: 12
- Calories: 175 cal
- Protein: 20g
- Fat: 4.5g
- Carbs: 11g
- Why You'll Love It: The list looks long but really it's just layers of delicious flavors in ONE pot that come together easily to create the most delicious and comforting pot of HEALTHY, lean, turkey bolognese. Such a classic favorite in our home.
Whenever I want dinner to feel extra easy… it usually starts with ground turkey. It’s the base of my fajita ground turkey skillet and mushroom turkey taco meat too. No fat trimming, no marinating, no grilling, no perfect bake time. You throw it in a hot pan, season it, brown it, and it’s delicious. Add some veggies, a few spices, and the best San Marzano tomatoes, and you’ve got a huge pot of belly and soul-warming bolognese for the week.
It’s perfect for meal prep since the leftovers only get better. I throw it over pasta for the kids. If you’re watching your carbs, try spaghetti squash or zoodles. Sometimes I’ll even pile it on a bowl of steamed broccoli. Really whatever I have! It’s the flavor maker.
Don’t lose faith in me. I know that last one is weird. But it really doesn’t matter what’s hiding underneath this hearty, comforting, meaty sauce. TRUST me.
What Is Bolognese?
Pretty sure my mom made this weekly and called it meat sauce. So I’m just getting all fancy thanks to years of watching Ina and Martha back when I was nursing babies and could justify turning the TV on for a minute. Ha! Remember those days? So yes… bolognese is a meaty, tomato-based sauce for all of your meaty, tomato-y sauce needs. You’re welcome.
Is Ground Turkey Good in Bolognese?
YES. Ground turkey soaks up all the flavor from the veggies, wine, and tomatoes, and it keeps the sauce lean and high in protein. If you’re a ground turkey fan like me, my low carb turkey cauliflower chili is another cozy one.
Important Ingredients and Substitutions
- Two kinds of ground turkey: I use 93/7 for flavor and 99/1 to bulk up the protein with almost no fat. All 93/7 works too, it just bumps up the fat.
- San Marzano canned tomatoes: I’m not always a brand girl. I am with my canned tomatoes. These taste better… swear it. The best margherita pizzas we had in Naples were made with tomatoes grown in the volcanic soil at the base of Mount Vesuvius. They’re sweeter and less acidic than most. I get mine at Trader Joe’s, but another brand of canned tomatoes works if that’s what you have.
- Tomato paste in a tube: Trader Joe’s sells it this way, and it’s so much easier to store than the little cans.
- Cheap cooking wine: I’m NO EXPERT. “They” always say not to cook with anything you wouldn’t drink. Since I don’t drink wine, I buy cheap cooking wine and I’m cool with it! Red or white both work.
- Frozen garlic cubes: they save so much mincing. Fresh cloves work too.
Before You Start Cooking
- Grab your biggest pot. This makes about 12 cups of sauce, so use a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven.
- Pulse the tomatoes first. Blend both cans until smooth, but stop before they get frothy. Then they’re ready to pour in once the meat is browned.
- Chop the carrots small. Small pieces soften in the same 5 to 10 minutes as the onion and celery.
- Plan for about an hour and 10 minutes. Most of that is hands-off simmering, so start your pasta or roast a spaghetti squash while it goes.
- Weigh your empty pot if you track macros. Then you can weigh the finished sauce and split it into exact servings. Here’s how I add a recipe to MyFitnessPal.
How to Make Turkey Bolognese
- Soften the veggies. Sauté the onion, carrots, and celery with salt and pepper for 5 to 10 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste. Stir it in and cook for another minute.
- Brown the turkey. Add both kinds of ground turkey, break it up, and cook for about 10 minutes until it’s cooked through.
- Deglaze with wine. Pour in the wine and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, scraping up the bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the garlic.
- Simmer. Add the pulsed tomatoes, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Gently simmer for about 40 minutes.
See, so easy we could call it one step if we wanted to. Ha. One pot… a few layers of ingredients while your house fills up with garlic and onions and simmering tomatoes. THE BEST.
What to Serve with Turkey Bolognese
What I love about a good bolognese is that there’s so much good stuff in that pot, the rest of dinner can be super simple. I’ll boil a pot of pasta for the family and roast a spaghetti squash for myself while the sauce simmers. Both make great leftovers to pull out with your bolognese all week. I love pasta like the next human being. But I’m not ONE BIT jealous of the kids’ pasta. This meaty, sweet and savory sauce all tangled up with roasted spaghetti squash is PERFECT. If you love that combo, my creamy cauliflower spaghetti squash casserole is a must.
Then you’ve got plenty of carbs left for fresh French bread to sop up any spare sauce. No brainer. Sometimes we do a side salad, parmesan smashed broccoli, or a pan of basil roasted veggies. In the fall I love balsamic roasted fall veggies with it. Sometimes I remember all the veggies I threw in that pot and call it good. Always, everyone mmmmmms through dinner and tells me I should make this more. For real.
How to Freeze Turkey Bolognese
This is one of my favorite things to have in the freezer! It’s on my list of macro-friendly freezer meals for a reason.
- Let the sauce cool, then portion it into large ziplock bags. Lay them flat to freeze so they stack easily and thaw faster.
- Freeze just the sauce. Make your pasta or spaghetti squash fresh when you’re ready to eat.
- Write the date and grams on the bag (one serving is 240g) so logging is easy later.
- Thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm it on the stove over medium heat. Add a splash of water if it’s gotten too thick.
- It keeps up to 3 months in the freezer.
Want more Italian-style dinners for the freezer? Try my Instant Pot pork ragu, easy lasagna soup, skillet zucchini lasagna, chicken marinara, or cottage cheese meatballs.
If you want a plan for the whole week, my macro-friendly meal plans send you a new menu and grocery list every Thursday, with the macros already done.
Turkey Bolognese Calories and Macros
One cup (240g) of this healthy turkey bolognese has 175 calories, 20g protein, 4.5g fat, and 11g carbs. That’s just the sauce, so add whatever you’re serving it over. The full nutrition is in the recipe card below.
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Weeknight Healthy Turkey Bolognese
Ingredients
- Olive oil/cooking spray
- 1 onion diced 300 g
- 4 carrots chopped small 190 g
- 4 stalks celery chopped 150 g
- 1 tbs kosher salt
- A few grinds of fresh ground pepper
- 2 tbs 30 g tomato paste (I love the tube from Trader Joe’s for easy storage!)
- 1.6 lb 93/7 ground turkey I use one package of the foster farms from Costco- hence the random amount- anything close to this is fine.
- 1 lb extra lean 99/1 ground turkey I use Jenni O
- 1 cup red or white wine I just use cheap red cooking wine! But feel free to use something nicer.
- 8 frozen dorot cubes or fresh minced cloves
- 2 -28 oz cans of San Marzano tomatoes I get mine from Trader Joe’s- PULSED* in a blender
- 1 tbs dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Heat large heavy bottomed pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Spray with olive oil cooking spray. Add onions, carrots, celery, and kosher salt/pepper to the pot and saute for 5-10 minutes until soft and caramelized. Add tomato paste and cook for another minute.
- Add ground turkey, breaking into pieces and brown for another 10 minutes or so until cooked through. Add wine and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring to deglaze any bits on the pan. Add garlic and sautee for another minute or two.
- Add the smooth PULSED canned tomatoes, oregano, and crushed red pepper flakes. Gently simmer for about 40 minutes. Pile on pasta or spaghetti squash for the most classic, comforting weeknight meal!
Notes
- I really think the San Marzano tomatoes have the most amazing quality and flavor, but of course you can use another brand. I get mine from Trader Joe’s. I already believed these were best from things I’d read, but after our trip to Italy in 2016 where we had the best pizza of our lives in Naples… it was confirmed. It’s all about the San Marzano tomatoes they grow in the rich volcanic soil out there.
- PULSE the tomatoes in a blender or food processor but don’t go crazy. You don’t want it to get all frothy. Just smooth.
Tried this recipe?
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Hi! I’m just getting started watching my macros. I just want to confirm that I’m reading this recipe right. overall it takes 2. 6 lbs of turkey? I got the Costco pack, too! But I just wanted to confirm that it also takes another pound of turkey. Thanks!
Our family loved this! There are only 3 of us so sometimes we run out of steam on leftovers. NOT FOR THIS! My 13-year old son asked for it again and again. I had it over broccoli and my husband and son had it over pasta. The broccoli was a great suggestion – thank you! 🙂
Full of flavor and a few ingredients!
YUM!!!! I made with 96/4 ground beef and I used frozen mirepoix (I weighed it to equal the sum of your measurements for the onion, carrot, and celery which was 640 grams) to make it even easier and it was delicious!! And easy! A double win😍 thank you!!!
Hello! I am getting ready to make this for the first time this week. Does the recipe call for cloves or garlic? It says Dorot cubes or fresh minced cloves?
This recipe is AMAZING!!!!! So simple and seriously so delicious. The perfect recipe for meal prep- macro friendly and very filling!
I’ve been making this for a couple of years now and I can say it’s definitely a home run. It also is great to freeze the leftovers for another evening.
I usually cheat and use a store bought tomato sauce. This recipe is so worth taking a couple extra steps. So good. We served ours over a bed of quinoa.
Love the simplicity of this recipe! Very flavorful and easy to make. Mine turned out a bit watery though- do you recommend draining the tomatoes before putting them in the blender?
Does this have cloves or cloves of garlic? I see Cloves in the ingredients but garlic in the recipe. Thanks:)
I am looking to make this soon… by chance what brand of cooking wine do you buy??? I rarely cook with wine at all and would rather use cooking wine, but would like to know what you buy? BTW, I’ve made several of your recipes the past week from your new cookbook and have LOVED everything so far. Thanks!
Ahh! I’m sorry I’m just responding! These blog comments slip by me sometimes dangit. I just buy the cheapest one I can find! They say not to buy anything less than you would drink. But since I don’t drink, I figure that’s fine for us. Haha.
Hi Lillie! I was just wondering how you track the macros for the 1 cup of wine in the recipe. Is it tracked as carbs? How many carbs?
Made this tonight and my family loved it!
I think it would be really good to throw some green Chiles in next time. I also added some Green Dragon hot sauce from Trader Joe’s (only about 15 grams).
Thanks for the recipe ~ this will definitely be made again.
Have this simmering in the stove now! Can you freeze the leftover bolognese sauce?
Yes! I freeze in large ziplock. 👌🏻
Can’t wait to try this tonight! Just to clarify, you use both types of ground turkey, not a choose one type of thing?
Yes both! Just a way to get more flavor from the higher fat but stretch the protein farther.. keeping fats low. Sorry for my delay!
This is just delicious!! It makes a lot, and tastes great as leftovers too! I will never use anything but San marzano canned tomatoes again- game changing! Thanks for creating all these amazing recipes!!
Oh I’m so glad Karen! Thanks for letting me know! And seriously on the tomatoes– AGREED