Best Turkey Bolognese Recipe
, Published Oct 14, 2024
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This delicious Turkey Bolognese is a lighter and leaner version of the classic Italian favorite. Made with ground turkey and the classic holy trinity of onions, celery and carrots, this is a must make pasta sauce the whole family will love.
You have Emily Blunt to thank for this Turkey Bolognese recipe… which I totally wasn’t expecting! Her stint at Ina Garten’s Be My Guest reminded me that I used to make Turkey Bolognese sauce for my kids all the time back when they were toddlers.
My version was almost identical to Emily’s other than I used to add a lot more tomatoes to the sauce back then. I actually prefer this tomato-light Bolognese better – it is amazingly delicious and a probably the best way to use ground turkey.
Adding milk to Bolognese sauce may sound off-putting to some, but it is actually a common practice in Italy and it helps tenderize the meat and enrich the sauce. I invite you to give it a try! Pair this turkey Bolognese with your favorite pasta or use in lasagna or Moussaka – it is sure to become a family staple.
Turkey Bolognese Ingredients
You can use a food processor to dice the vegetables – this saves time and “hides” the veggies in the sauce as they sort of melt into it.
- Olive oil – use a spray bottle if you are making this as part of Slimming World or WW, that way you can control the amount of oil.
- Onion, celery and carrots (the Italian staple soffritto) are the base of our sauce.
- Minced garlic
- Salt, pepper and chicken bouillon cube.
- Turkey – ground turkey, ideally dark meat from the legs and thighs although turkey breast mince can also be used.
- Milk – whole milk or semi-skimmed.
- Tomato paste (tomato purée).
- Balsamic vinegar or Worcestershire sauce.
- White wine (a dry unoaked wine such as Pinot Grigio is perfect)
- Parmesan cheese rind and grated Parmesan to serve.
- Fresh basil or parsley to garnish.
How to make Turkey Bolognese
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page. Please take a look at the steps and video before attempting this recipe!
Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C). Heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish (a cast iron braiser is ideal). Add the onion, celery and carrots and sauté over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Add a splash of the wine if the pan gets dry while you cook the soffritto.
Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper. Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant. Stir in the ground turkey, cooking for about ten minutes until browned.
Add the milk and wine and bring to a simmer, cooking until slightly reduced. Stir in the tomato paste and balsamic vinegar. Add the bay leaves and cheese rind, cover and transfer to the oven for 40-50 minutes.
Discard the bay leaves and cheese rind. Have a taste and check whether you need to adjust the seasoning. Serve over your choice of pasta, garnishing with chopped basil and topping with grated Parmesan.
Lucy’s Pro Tip
Boil the pasta in salted water until al dente, reserving about half a cup (120ml) before draining the pasta. Add a little of the starchy pasta water into the sauce and heat through. Toss the pasta and sauce together before serving so that each strand is coated in the sauce.
Storing and freezing
Store the turkey Bolognese in an airtight container in the fridge for up to four days. Alternatively freeze the sauce, in portions, once it has cooled down completely and use within three months. It is a fabulous freezer standby when you have no time to cook!
Recipe Notes
- Don’t rush it – give yourself the time to properly cook the soffritto. This can take 10-15 minutes but it is the flavor base of our Bolognese sauce. The vegetables should be softened but not browned.
- You can simmer the sauce on the stove if you prefer but you will need to stir it occasionally so it doesn’t stick. Cooking it in the oven is much more hands off!
- Save up the rind from your Parmesan cheese to use in Italian recipes like this one. Simply freeze in a bag to use from frozen whenever you need.
Related Recipes
- Slow Cooked Lamb Ragu (Lamb Ragu d’Abruzzo)
- Spezzatino di Manzo (Italian Beef Stew)
- Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Meatballs With Gnocchi
- Lasagna alla Bolognese | Skinny Lasagne
HAVE YOU MADE MY TURKEY BOLOGNESE RECIPE? Please leave a rating, sounds off in the comments, post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
Best Turkey Bolognese Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil , or as needed
- 1 large onion , very finely diced
- 2 carrots , finely diced
- 3 stalks celery , finely diced
- 4 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp brown sugar (optional)
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 pound (450g) ground turkey (dark meat ideally)
- ½ cup (120ml) milk
- ½ cup (120ml) white wine
- 3 tsp chicken bouillon (2 small stock cubes, crumbled)
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar or Worcester sauce
- 2 bay leaves
- small piece Parmesan rind
To serve
- pasta of your choosing
- grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano to serve
- chopped fresh basil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 320°F (160°C). Heat the olive oil in a large casserole dish (a cast iron braiser is ideal). Add the onion, celery and carrots and sauté over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened. Add a splash of the wine if the pan gets dry while you cook the soffritto.2 tbsp olive oil, 1 large onion, 2 carrots, 3 stalks celery
- Sprinkle with sugar, salt and pepper. Add the minced garlic and cook for a minute until fragrant. Stir in the ground turkey, cooking for about ten minutes until browned.4 cloves garlic, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp brown sugar, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 pound (450g) ground turkey (dark meat ideally)
- Add the milk and wine and bring to a simmer, cooking until slightly reduced. Stir in the chicken bouillon, tomato paste and balsamic vinegar. Add the bay leaves and cheese rind, cover and transfer to the oven for 40-50 minutes.½ cup (120ml) milk, ½ cup (120ml) white wine, 3 tsp chicken bouillon, 4 tbsp tomato paste, 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar , 2 bay leaves, small piece Parmesan rind
- Discard the bay leaves and cheese rind. Have a taste and check whether you need to adjust the seasoning. Serve over your choice of pasta, garnishing with chopped basil and topping with grated Parmesan.pasta of your choosing, grated Parmesan or Pecorino Romano to serve, chopped fresh basil, salt and pepper
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate, and will depend on quality of ingredients and serving sizes.
