Healthy Ground Turkey and Lentil Bolognese Sauce

Maybe it's the spices, the pasta or the passion that goes into the cooking, but there is something very romantic about Italian food. This recipe is a healthy spin on the Italian classic bolognese pasta sauce. Bolognese hails from beautiful Bologna, Italy where it is known as ragù alla bolognese. The classic bolgonese sauce is filled with rich meat, vegetables and spices. This revamped hearty sauce packs in fiber filled vegetables and lentils along with lean ground turkey to deliver a delicious dinner with a depth of flavor leaving you craving another helping. 

Ingredients Needed

Onion: About ½ of a large onion is what is needed. We recommend using a yellow onion as it is the milder option vs. red or white onion. Finely dice the onion in a chopper or by hand.

Celery: About 2 celery stalks will be needed. Dice the celery more finely than you would use in a traditional soup, about ¼" thick. 

Olive Oil: Extra virgin olive oil for sauteeing the veggies and garlic. Your house will smell heavenly! 

Garlic: Time saving trick....use the jarred, diced garlic. I always have this on hand as we use weekly and saves so much time. 

Lentils: Have the lentils pre-cooked and ready to add to the sauce. Another time-saving trick is to use the pre-cooked black lentils from Trader Joe's. These are a great addition that add fiber and iron to any dish. They don't impact the overall flavor or even texture since they're soft without being mushy. 

Ground Turkey: 93/7 is the ideal lean turkey to use, but feel free to use your favorite healthy turkey option. Lean ground beef can easily be substituted for ground turkey and lends itself to the more traditional bolognese recipe. You can even do a mixture of Italian turkey sausage and ground turkey or beef.

Tomato Sauce: To keep things easy, this recipe calls for canned tomato sauce. If you prefer a chunkier sauce, use sweet canned san marzano tomatoes or jarred marinara sauce. Just be sure to adjust the addition of spices if using a pre-spiced jarred marinara.

Parsley: Fresh parsley adds to the flavor and complexity of this turkey bolognese

Spices: Basil, oregano, thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper

Serving Suggestions & Substitutions

For a low carb option, serve this healthy bolognese over cooked spaghetti squash or zucchini noodles sprinkled with fresh parmesan cheese. Tube-shaped pastas such as rigatoni or penne are great options to serve with this meat-based sauce. To add more fiber and protein to the dish, consider subbing traditional pasta for bean-based pastas such as the Banza or Brami brands. 

Ground turkey can easily be subbed for ground beef or a mixture of lean sausage and traditional ground beef or turkey. If you like a little kick to the sauce, add a little bit of crushed red pepper flakes to add some heat. Fresh herbs can easily be swapped for dried, just consider the ratios as more fresh herbs will be needed as dried herbs have a more pungent effect. 

If you'd like to simmer the sauce in a slow cooker, follow the initial steps in the recipe for sauteeing and softening the vegetables and then add the remaining ingredients to the slow cooker on low for a few hours. Easy peasy! Freeze the sauce in freezer bags for up to two months. Remeber to always section out what you'll need for one meal and freeze a thin layer laid flat in the bag. This helps expedite the defrost time for the frozen sauce.

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