This bolognese sauce is lightened up by using ground turkey served over zucchini noodles (Zoodles). You won’t miss the regular pasta in this dish, not even a little bit!
Traditional Bolognese sauce is a meat sauce made with beef. In this recipe, I lightened up the sauce by using lean ground turkey and it’s just as delicious. This sauce has a light taste and doesn’t need a lot of time to cook. By not cooking this sauce too long, it helps the tomatoes retain their sweet taste but also allows for depth of flavor. The herbs will infuse the sauce with fresh flavor and the turkey sausage is just enough to add texture and heat.
Use Fresh Tomatoes If Possible:
This recipe is even better when using fresh tomatoes and is best when tomatoes are at their ripest. Tomatoes are the most favorable in the summer. You can tell when a tomato is ripe by the bright red color of the skin which should be smooth and slightly shiny without any dark spots or bruises. Even a small spot can indicate that the tomato is rotten on the inside. You can also test for ripeness by lightly squeezing the tomato for firmness. If the tomato is too hard, it needs more time to ripen.
Just before you are ready to serve, stir your zucchini noodles in the sauce and let sit for roughly 5 minutes, just to allow the zoodles to soften slightly. Don’t allow them to sit any longer because nobody wants a mushy noodle.
- Turkey Sausage
- Olive Oil
- ½ Yellow Onion (large)
- 2 cloves Garlic (minced)
- 1 (28 oz can) crushed tomatoes
- 6 to 8 Fresh Basil Leaves (chopped)
- ½ tbsp. onion powder
- ½ tbsp. garlic salt
- 1 tsp. oregano
- 1 tbsp. Salt (more to taste)
- 1 tbsp. Pepper (more to taste)
- Remove the turkey sausage from its casing. Brown the turkey sausage in a shallow pan. While the turkey sausage is cooking, start by dicing your onion and garlic. Pour 2 tablespoons Olive Oil into deep pan and allow to heat for about 30 seconds. Add the onion and saute for a minute, add garlic and cook through until onions are translucent. Add tomatoes, all spices, and turkey sausage to the onion mixture. Mix until well combined and spices are fully incorporated. Allow the sauce to boil and then cover and simmer for 20 minutes.
- The sauce can be served right away, whether you spoon over zoodles or toss with pasta, this sauce is delicious.
Looking for other ways to eat Zucchini, try my Italian Style Stuffed Zucchini Boats.
