Ground turkey bolognese is a healthier version of traditional bolognese sauce. Made with ground turkey and high-quality tomatoes, your family (and your waistline) is going to love this healthy spaghetti bolognese.
As you probably already know, I am a PASTA LOVER. While I eat lots of other things, pasta is a big part of my diet. I know it contains lots of carbs, but I practice moderation. And frankly, I am part Italian and would not be able to live without it. So why not make a whole grain pasta recipe like this healthy spaghetti bolognese and enjoy some carbs?
Ingredients Used in this Turkey Bolognese Recipe
- Whole Wheat Spaghetti - Substitute regular spaghetti or even gluten-free spaghetti.
- Olive Oil - Or use any cold-pressed oil such as avocado oil, grapeseed oil, or sunflower oil.
- Ground Lean Turkey - You can use other ground meats but it will alter the calories and fat content of the final dish.
- Garlic - Fresh cloves offer the best taste.
- Fresh Parsley
- Fresh Basil
- Italian seasoning
- Crushed Tomatoes
- White Wine - You can substitute chicken broth in place of the wine.
- Sugar - Feel free to leave out the sugar.
- Salt and Red Pepper - Season to taste.
- Parmesan - Sprinkle on some freshly grated parm for serving.
How to make Bolognese Sauce healthy
This ground turkey bolognese sauce is a healthy week night recipe. I almost always use whole wheat spaghetti for the health benefits you get. This time I used whole wheat, flax seed spaghetti that I purchased at Trader Joe's. To cut down on fat, I used turkey rather than the beef or pork used in a more traditional Bolognese. I also drained the turkey after it was browned to avoid any extra fat . If you add enough herbs and spices, you will not lose any flavor. A spoon of sugar sweetens the sauce slightly but you can also leave it out if you wish.
Tips to Making Healthy Spaghetti Bolognese
Here are a few tips to help you make a delicious dinner.
- Don't overcook the spaghetti. Cook the spaghetti to al dente which will make for a more pleasing experience as you eat the pasta.
- Choose good quality meat. Ground turkey plays an important role in this recipe. Look for organic meat when possible and choose a ground turkey with a lower fat content for the most health benefits. You can also grind your own turkey! If your meat is frozen make sure to know how to safely defrost ground turkey.
- Choose high-quality tomatoes. Higher quality tomatoes will provide you with the most flavorful sauce. Since the tomatoes are not masked by other ingredients, I tend to spring for the more expensive tomatoes. If you can find crushed, look for whole peeled tomatoes and crush them yourself using an immersion blender.
More Bolognese Recipes
I love a good Bolognese recipe and here are more of my favorites:
- Skinny Bolognese Noodles
- Mini Lasagna Bolognese
- Easy Gnocchi Bolognese with Ground Turkey
- Tortellini Bolognese from Food Fanatic.
- Pork Bolognese from Souffle Bombay
If you like this Ground Turkey Bolognese, please leave a 5-star rating.
RECIPE
Spaghetti with Turkey Bolognese
Ingredients
- 1 lb whole wheat spaghetti
- 1 TBS olive oil
- 1 ¼ lb ground lean turkey
- 2 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- handful fresh chopped parsley
- handful fresh chopped basil
- 1 TBS dried Italian seasoning
- 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
- ½ cup white wine or substitute chicken broth
- 1 TBS sugar
- salt and red pepper to taste
- grated Parmesan for serving
Instructions
- Cook spaghetti in a large pot of salted water according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.
- In a Dutch oven, heat olive oil to medium and brown the ground turkey. Drain after it is fully cooked.
- Add garlic, parsley, basil, and seasoning and cook for a minute or two. Add tomatoes and sugar.
- Cover pot and simmer on low for 25 minutes or until sauce is thickened while stirring occasionally.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Toss spaghetti with sauce and serve with grated cheese.
Nutrition
First Published October 2008 ; Last Updated May 2021
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Barbara Bakes
I love whole wheat spaghetti too - every little bit helps! Go Phillies!
Allie
Have fun watching all the games! Love using ground turkey in pasta not sure why more people don't.
kat
Great use of ground turkey, people always think turkey is dry but not if done like this
biz319
That spaghetti looks so thick - nice! I'll have to check that out the next time I am at Trader Joe's.
I try to sub whole wheat for regular, but hubby can always tell! 😀
Jeni
I was craving spaghetti and wa-la, I came upon your sight. Looks good. I haven't had it with whole wheat before noodles, but I think I'll give it a try. Thanks.
Stacey Snacks
I love pasta with ANYTHING on top!
I could eat it plain w/ butter.
I buy Trader's pappardelle, they are great.
We are on for Monday lunch!
Where are we going?
I have some ideas.............
Michele
I use ground turkey often as a substitution for ground beef. I normally drain and rinse ground beef as well as ground turkey. Congrats on the Phillies!! I'm an Indians girl, and it was a very sad, sad season for me.
Dawn
LOL! Yes, my hubby is a happy man too (he's from Philly).
Have a good weekend. Don't you just love Trader Joe's?
Great swap with the turkey here.
Pam
I would love a plate of that right now. Good luck to your teams!
Veronica
How about those Phillies?! We're Yankee fans in our house-but I'm glad the Phillies are doing well. I love that flax spaghetti!
Mrs. L
Should I mention that the Giants and 49ers suck but at least I have the Sharks? I seriously doubt the day all three teams in my area have good years at the same time....
HoneyB
We use whole wheat often ourselves! Have fun watching the games!
Bridgett
I've never tried it with turkey. Sounds delicious!
Sara
This looks great, I just tried that same spaghetti from Trader Joe's last night, we liked it.
Jan
I love Spag Bol, this is one of the few dishes my hubby makes. I have to admit ours is not so healthy, we use beef, and have homemade garlic bread with ours.
This certainly sounds like a more wholesome alternative. 🙂
Bunny
I've never made whole wheat spaghetti, I'm gonna have to try this!
nicole
Ahhh...Who can wait for steam to go down? You want hot spaghetti. I figure HEY at least you took a picture. Still looks good.
Beth
I love bolognese. Never tried making it with turkey mince - sounds like a good lower fat alternative
Yasmeen
hi Lisa
Flax Seed in Spaghetti is a smart healthy idea along with turkey and whole grain pasta:)
I've an award waiting for you at my blog,please collect:)
Waiting for you boolicious recipes:)
hot garlic
Ohhh, spicy! I love the whole wheat pasta, it's my absolute fave. This just looks great Lisa!
alexandra's kitchen
Go Phillies!! This pasta looks aweome. I love pasta and don't make it enough.
RecipeGirl
Ha Ha- sports are not good for our diets as well. I always have to make something fun to watch the games.
We're sad about the Red Sox, but I hope your team wins for you!
Yummy turkey idea!
mikky
what a healthy treat... 🙂
*Priscilla*
looks yummo! i was kinda hopin' the cubs would have been playing the rays....:(
Clumbsy Cookie
Goooooooooooo Phillies! And go turkey bolognese as well!!!
Robin Sue
Go Phillies!! Gotta love bolognese, just made some last night-it's one of my favorites, not as healthy as yours though!
Aggie
I'm laughing because I get a lot of steam in my pictures too!
I love this Lisa, looks delicious! I haven't made a sauce like this in a while...maybe tomorrow! Thanks for the idea!
Tell me about sports not being good for the diet...I'm struggling over here!
The Blonde Duck
It looks great to me! I love whole wheat pasta!
Jenny
This looks like a great dish Lisa. I love ww pasta. Once I got used to it, I prefer it now. The turkey sounds like a great addition too!
Sharon
I've been meaning to try the flax seed pasta from Trader Joe's but keep forgetting to buy it! Thanks for the reminder 🙂 Hope you had a successful sports weekend!
Prudy
Sounds delicious. I know what you mean about steam-it's a toss up every night. Great pics or great food? We always opt for the great hot food! Go Phillies!
Jennifer Ludgin
mmm, lisa, that looks great! I made meat loaf out of ground lean turkey tonight...so good!
Leslie
We have the sports fever in my House too... Rays, Bucs and Lightning! Tampa is a huge sports town!
Love your healthy spaghetti
That Girl
Ground turkey is just so versatile!
Jeena
Oooh pass me a fork so I can twist this delicious spaghetti around it yum!
Great healthy option using turkey instead of beef. 🙂
bren@Flanboyant Eats
i was looking for the sugar in your ingredients! I'm amazed at how many ppl don't use it in the sauce!
Lisa magicsprinkles
This looks so warm, comforting and filling. We sometimes BOO in our neighborhood, but it hasn't happened this year (yet).
Rosie
This looks a great Lisa with whole wheat spaghetti - just perfect!
Rosie x
Gavan Murphy aka The Healthy Irishman
I've used that spag. from Trader Joes. Brilliant. Love this recipe. I just found you on Foodie Friday. Great site and very colorful. Nice job.