Quick and Easy Turkey Bolognese Recipe with Zucchini Pasta (2024)

An easy turkey bolognese sauce made with just a few basic ingredients and readyin less than 30 minutes. Served over zucchini pasta for a healthy and satisfying meal. Naturally gluten free and low carb.

I originally created this easy turkey bolognese as I was coming home from the gymstarving, with nothing already made to grab and eat, and a pretty sad half-empty fridge.

My mission was to come up with something super quick and nutritious before I'd turn into the Hulk for being so hangry and I succeeded! With just a few ingredients, I had prepared a meal that's not only healthy + wholesome but also, super delicious!

Since then, I've made this recipe time and time again, perfected it, and now it's my go-to turkey meat sauce for when I'm in a hurry.

How to make this easy turkey bolognese – step by step

Heat some olive oil in a non-stick skillet, add one chopped onion and a couple of minced garlic cloves and cook until soft(step 1)

Add ground turkey and cook until it's no longer pink, breaking up the meat into small pieces with a wooden spoon(step 2).

Drain liquid (if any), season with salt and pepper and add some tomato passata (tomato sauce).

Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook on medium heat uncovered for about 15 minutes, stirring from time to time.

While the sauce is cooking and reducing, prepare your zucchini noodles with your Spiralizer – I have this one(step 3)

When the sauce is almost done, add some chopped fresh basil leaves, and cook for another three minutes or so to let the flavors develop(step 4)

Turn off the heat and stir in some fresh parmesan cheese(step 5).

The sauce should be thick and not watery anymore, as shown on the photo below(step 6).

Place your zucchini noodles in a plate or a bowl, spoon some sauce on top, sprinkle with extra parmesan if you want and enjoy!

Wait, what? No carrots and celery in your bolognese?!

This recipe was designed to be as simple as possible, with a minimum of ingredients delivering a maximum of flavors.

So although I know that traditional bolognese sauce usually includes some chopped carrots and celery sticks, you honestly won't miss them at all.

This recipe doesn't pretend to be a masterpiece of the most perfect and pure bolognese that you can cook on the weekend and rave about for weeks. This recipe is the one you need for a quick and easy dinner on week nights, when life's busy and you want to eat a super tasty meal that's good for you.

I promise you won't miss the carrots and celery. Or the simmering for hours that matter! But please do me a favor and don't skip the fresh basil though, okay?

How to cook zucchini pasta aka zoodles

If you'd like to serve this turkey bolognese sauce with zucchini noodles instead of traditional pasta, read this!

Zucchini is made of 95% water – which means that they will becomevery soggy and thus not appetizing at all if you overcook them, even by one minute.

There are several ways you can "cook" zucchini noodles:

1. Have themraw– it's actually my favorite method and I always eat my zoodles this way. They taste good and keep their shape and "crunch" factor, making the texture a bit more similar to pasta. Toss them with sauce to warm them and they're ready to be eaten.
2. Microwave – place your zucchini noodles in a microwave-safe bowl and cook them on high in 30 second bursts (always taste them in between bursts so you don't overcook them.
3. Sautéed in a skillet– sautée in a pan with a little bit of olive oil for 1 to 2 minutes.

For this recipe, if you don't want to eat them raw, add the zucchini noodles in the skillet with the warm sauce, on the stove, and let them sit for 2 to 3 minutes. The heat of the sauce will cook them.

A few tips and substitutions to make this easy turkey bolognese sauce!

• Freezing:Bolognese sauce freezes well. Pack in an airtight container and freeze for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge or in the microwave. Do not freeze zucchini noodles.
• Make ahead:You can make the bolognese sauce and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days. Don't prepare the zucchini noodles more than 2 days ahead. Pack the bolognese and zucchini noodles separately.
• Other meats:instead of turkey, you can use ground chicken or extra lean ground beef
• Make this paleo and dairy free: instead of parmesan cheese, use nutritional yeast

If you tried this turkey bolognese,don’t forget torate the recipeand let me know how it went in the comments below – I love hearing from you! You can also follow me onInstagram,PinterestandFacebookfor more deliciousness and behind-the-scenes!

More zucchini pasta recipes:

• Chicken and Pesto Zucchini Pasta

• Spiralized Zucchini Pasta Alla Puttanesca (Cherry Tomatoes And Olives)

• Italian Sausage Pasta

UPDATE NOTE:This post was originally published onMarch 21, 2014and republished in July 2018 with an updated recipe, new photos and tips.