Home > Dinner > Turkey Bolognese Turkey Bolognese October 3, 2020 | 12 Comments SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Jump to Recipe This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy. Veggie-packed, nutritious, and flavor-loaded, Turkey Bolognese is savory, filling, and easy to make – the perfect meal for weeknights. Pair this turkey Bolognese with a quick garden salad like this Olive Garden Salad or tasty Corn Salad. The Best Turkey Bolognese Ground turkey can get a bad rap, but I’ve found that if it’s seasoned and prepared well, it can taste amazing. With a few “secret” ingredients, this Turkey Bolognese is every bit as tempting and addictive as beef or pork bolognese. (Not that a vegetarian Lentil Bolognese doesn’t hit the spot when you’re looking for a meatless option.) And those few secret ingredients? Beef bouillon powder: I’ve been adding beef bouillon to ground turkey for a couple of years now and I swear by it — it boosts and enhances the meaty flavor. My husband is always convinced we’re actually eating ground beef with this one addition. Worcestershire sauce: This sauce gives the Bolognese a great umami, salty flavor and also gives it a bolder meat flavor. Ingredients Olive Oil: Used to cook the veggies. Onion, Carrot, Celery: Add flavor to the sauce. Garlic: Gives a strong, flavorful taste to your turkey bolognese. Dried Thyme, Basil, Oregano, Salt, Pepper: Seasons and makes the sauce taste better. Ground Turkey: The main meat of the dish. Grape Juice/Beef Broth/Red Wine: Helps mix the flavors and makes the sauce richer. Crushed Tomatoes: The main part of the sauce. Tomato Paste: Makes the tomato flavor stronger. Worcestershire Sauce: Adds a unique taste to the turkey bolognese. Bay Leaves: Give a mild, herby flavor. Beef Bouillon Powder: Makes the turkey taste more like beef. Spaghetti: The pasta for the sauce. QUICK TIP Emulsify the pasta: Toss the turkey Bolognese with reserved pasta water and hot pasta for a luxurious sauce that coats every strand. This Italian technique, called emulsifying, enhances the dish. While adding sauce directly to noodles works, emulsifying offers a richer result. How To Make Turkey Bolognese Cook Veggies: Sauté onion, carrot, and celery in olive oil. Add garlic when they’re soft. Brown Turkey: Cook the ground turkey in the same pan until brown. Add Flavors: Stir in thyme, basil, oregano, salt, pepper, and grape juice (or broth/wine). Scrape the pan. Simmer Sauce: Lower heat. Add tomato paste, bouillon, Worcestershire sauce, and crushed tomatoes. Add bay leaves. Simmer until thick. Cook Pasta: Boil spaghetti to al dente. Keep some pasta water. Combine: Mix half of the sauce with spaghetti, adding pasta water to blend. Serve: Top with Parmesan and optional herbs. STORAGE Storage Make Turkey Bolognese up to 5 days ahead, reheat on low. It tastes better the next day! Use any leftover sauce over these Stuffed Shells. For freezing: Cool sauce, store in a freezer-safe container, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge and reheat before serving. More Ground Turkey Recipes Turkey Taco Skillet Turkey Sloppy Joes Turkey Meatloaves Ground Turkey Recipe Turkey Taco Salad FOLLOW ALONG! Subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest and Instagram for the latest updates, recipes and content. Turkey Bolognese 5 from 5 votes - Review this recipe Veggie-packed, nutritious, and flavor-loaded, Turkey Bolognese is savory, filling, and easy to make – the perfect meal for weeknights. SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Turkey Bolognese 5 from 5 votes - Review this recipe SAVE TO RECIPE BOX Print Recipe Veggie-packed, nutritious, and flavor-loaded, Turkey Bolognese is savory, filling, and easy to make – the perfect meal for weeknights. Course Dinner, Main Course Cuisine American, Italian Keyword turkey bolognese Prep Time 25 minutes minutes Cook Time 20 minutes minutes Total Time 45 minutes minutes Servings 4 servings Chelsea Lords Calories 546kcal Author Chelsea Lords Ingredients▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil▢ 1/2 cup EACH: finely diced yellow onion, finely diced carrot, finely diced celery▢ 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic (~3-4 cloves)▢ 1/2 teaspoon EACH: dried thyme, dried basil, dried oregano▢ Fine sea salt and freshly cracked pepper▢ 1 pound lean (93/7) ground turkey (See Note 1)▢ 1/2 cup 100% grape juice or beef broth or red wine (See Note 2)▢ 1 can (28 ounces) fire-roasted crushed tomatoes (I highly recommend Muir Glen or Cento)▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste▢ 1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce▢ 2 bay leaves▢ 2 teaspoons beef bouillon powder▢ 12 ounces spaghetti▢ Freshly grated Parmesan cheese▢ Optional: freshly chopped parsley or basilUS - Metric USMetric InstructionsVEGGIES: Add 1 tablespoon oil to a large deep skillet/pot (one big enough to hold all the pasta later!) Heat to medium low, and add in the finely diced onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-7 minutes. Add in the garlic and continue to cook and stir for an additional 3-5 minutes until vegetables are softened and straw colored (you don't want to brown the veggies; reduce the heat if they start browning). Move veggies to the sides of the skillet and increase the heat to medium-high.GROUND TURKEY: Add the ground turkey to the center of the pan. Brown the turkey, crumbling and breaking it up as you stir. Cook 5-7 minutes or until mostly browned through. Drain any accumulated liquid from the ground turkey if needed. Add in the seasonings: the 1/2 teaspoon each of dried thyme, dried basil and dried oregano. Season to taste with salt and pepper, I add 1/2 teaspoon of each. Stir. Immediately pour in the beef broth (See Note 2) and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Cook, stirring until juice is reduced in half, about 1-2 minutes.SIMMER: Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the tomato paste, bouillon powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Add in the crushed tomatoes and stir. Add in the bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 10-15 minutes or until thickened and fragrant, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust to personal preference adding more salt and pepper as needed. Also taste for sourness -- if you use high-quality tomatoes, it shouldn't be sour. On occasion, however, you might need to add a teaspoon or so of white sugar to balance out the acid.SPAGHETTI: Meanwhile, follow package directions to cook the spaghetti to al dente. (Don't forget to salt the water generously! I add 1 teaspoon salt to every 4 cups of water.) Remove about 1 cup of the pasta water before draining the spaghetti -- you may needed it for emulsifying.TWO WAYS TO SERVE: Either emulsify the pasta: (authentic way; see step #7) or just spoon the sauce over the cooked pasta.GARNISH: Garnish with fresh chopped parsley or basil and freshly grated Parmesan cheese as desired.To EMULSIFY: Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Follow package directions to cook the pasta but DON'T DRAIN (yet!) Scoop out a cup of pasta cooking water and set aside. Now, you can drain the pasta. Add half of the Bolognese sauce to the pot used to cook the pasta. Add hot drained pasta right on top. Toss the pasta and sauce gently for a couple of minutes, slowly adding the reserved pasta water as needed until the sauce thickens and generously coats the pasta. (I usually only use about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of reserved pasta water, but it varies depending on a lot of factors, so add just enough until you have a thick rich sauce coating the pasta). Video Recipe NotesNote 1: I recommend getting lean (93/7) ground turkey as opposed to 99% lean ground turkey which tends to dry out and have very little flavor. If you can get ground turkey thigh meat, that's even better! Additionally, I recommend ground turkey from a carton as opposed to a chub (cylindrical package) -- it tends to have better flavor and is less watery. Note 2: Traditional Bolognese uses wine instead of beef broth. If you'd like to go with wine instead, you can substitute a medium-body red wine such as pinot noir or merlot. You may need a pinch or two of sugar to counteract the acidity. Nutrition FactsCalories: 546kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 541mg | Potassium: 589mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 65mg | Iron: 3mg We do our best to provide accurate nutritional analysis for our recipes. Our nutritional data is calculated using a third-party algorithm and may vary, based on individual cooking styles, measurements, and ingredient sizes. Please use this information for comparison purposes and consult a health professional for nutrition guidance as needed. DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? I love hearing from you when you've made one of my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @ChelseasMessyApron or leave me a comment below.
Hi Chelsea! I’m so very excited to try this. Does it matter if it’s red or white grape juice? Thanks! Reply
Delish!!! My family loved it. I didn’t use the beef bouillon red wine but will try using the red wine next time. So so good!!! Reply
