Easy Healthy Turkey Bolognese – the perfect Sunday lunch.
I can’t believe the weekend is over. It’s Monday already and a holiday for some. I also can’t believe we’re heading into the 2nd week of October – WOW!
Before you know it, the holidays will be upon us. With all there is to do to prepare for the holiday season, I’m hoping and praying that I get an early start with decorating, shopping, planning etc. I typically do but am hoping that time doesn’t get the best of me. For now, I’m going to take it in stride.
Yesterday, I did things around the house to prepare for the week and took my little dog on a walk to enjoy the weather. She couldn’t wait to get out and sniff the flowers and bark at any BIG dog she could find. Yes, she goes crazy when she see’s a big dog but runs when she see’s or hears a fly. It’s crazy but kind of funny. Anyhow, on our walk, I enjoyed looking at the Fall decor and the creative Halloween decorations many people had outside of their home. I haven’t put up any Fall or Halloween decorations but if I am I better get on my J-O-B.
On our way back home, lunch time was approaching. I didn’t want to buy any take-out or spend a ton of time wondering what I should cook. So, I thought this Easy Healthy Turkey Bolognese would be a great option. I especially wanted to cook something quick seeing that I would be preparing dinner in the next few hours.
I love that this recipe is not only healthy, but it’s done in under 30-minutes. Any remaining, can be stored away as left-overs for tomorrow’s lunch or dinner. Whenever you have the opportunity to take the guest work out of cooking, why not do so.
For Easy Healthy Turkey Bolognese, all you need are:
- Whole wheat pasta (any shape)
- Ground turkey
- Store bought pasta sauce/marinara
- Red wine
- Fresh garlic or granulated garlic
- Salt & other seasoning
- Fresh parm cheese
THAT’S IT.
If you’re looking for other quick and easy pasta dishes, check out my Skinny Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Shrimp Pasta recipe or my restaurant style White Wine Lemon Garlic Shrimp Pasta.
- 1 package whole wheat pasta any shape (I used penne)
- 3/4 to 1 lb ground turkey
- 1 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tblsp salt plus more if needed later
- 1.5 tsp Italian seasoning plus more if needed later
- 1.5 tsp oregano plus more if needed later
- 1.5 tsp chopped basil leaves plus more if needed later
- 3/4 jar pasta sauce
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1/4 cup fresh parmesan cheese plus more if needed (optional)
- Boil water and prepare pasta as suggested. Retain pasta water for later.
- Minced garlic, chopped parsley (optional), grate fresh
- Gather salt, Italian seasoning, oregano, chopped basil leaves. Set aside.
- Place a skillet on medium-high heat and add olive oil. When oil is hot, add ground turkey, seasoning and brown turkey meat. When turkey meat has browned, add pasta sauce, fresh garlic, red wine and simmer stirring occasionally. When sauce comes to a slight boil, reduce heat and add more seasoning as needed while sauce is simmering. Add about 1/4 cup of pasta water while sauce is simmering. Continue to let sauce simmer for about 10 minutes to make sure all the flavors are well blended.
- Add drained pasta noodles to sauce a little at a time (you will not need to use the entire pack of pasta). Fold in pasta noodles. Add freshly grated parmesan cheese and fresh parsley (dry parsley will work just fine).
I added a splash of milk to cut the tomato taste slightly. I always do this even when making spaghetti.
Pasta noodles tend to absorb the liquid from the sauce. Either make more sauce or use less noodles.
Where has this been all my life! I loooove a good bolognese, and I’m obsessed with this healthy version! So awesome.
Thanks so much Karly. I think you’re going to love how quick and easy it is to prepare. Just a few ingredients and your healthy dish will be ready in under 30 minutes.
Take Care,
Cree