Healthy Bolognese sauce is a delicious and hearty dinner. Paleo, Whole30 friendly and loaded with flavor – this hidden vegetarian Bolognese is one you’ll love!
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Healthy Bolognese sauce is one of the most comforting and delicious recipes. More filling than regular tomato sauce, you can stack it on top of zucchini noodles or your favorite pasta.
This classic dish is usually higher in fat, but I came up with a lighter version that brings ALL the flavor while being loaded with vegetables and good for you
.
If you’ve never eaten Bolognese sauce, you might be wondering what’s the difference with regular tomato sauce. Even though this Bolognese sauce
is healthy, it doesn’t really taste like it. Vegetables add SO much flavor to this, and when left to cook low and slow in the slow cooker (or on your stove) the meat becomes so tender.
We love our regular healthy Crockpot tomato sauce with ground beef or turkey dumplings, but do this for a nice change all the time. It’s delicious and simple!
PS – If you love crockpot recipes, check out these 45 healthy crockpot recipes!
Healthy Bolognese Ingredients
To make healthy Bolognese sauce you will need
- onion, garlic, carrots + celery
- spices: salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
- Fresh herbs: basil and parsley
- ground turkey
- crushed tomatoes
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded substitutions box.
The key to this recipe is to cut the vegetables SUPER finely. This is difficult to achieve with a knife. I use my food processor.
How to Make Healthy Bolognese Sauce:
Making Bolognese Sauce is Easy
!
- Brown your
- Remove the vegetables from the pan and brown their meatAdd
- everything in the pot (or slow cooker) and let it cook! As I mentioned before, make sure you chop your vegetables VERY finely.
vegetables
<img src="https://thecleaneatingcouple.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/turkey-bolognese-4-scaled.jpg" alt="Golden ground turkey in a pan for a healthy turkey bolognese with bowls of chopped vegetables
src=”https://thecleaneatingcouple.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/turkey-bolognese-6-scaled.jpg” alt=”Ingredients for a healthy turkey bolognese in a pan before mixing” />
This is an affiliate link for the food processor I use. It costs less than $20 and will make cooking/chopping vegetables much easier. I use it every day!
Once the sauce is cooked, it thickens and has a delicious and rich texture. It’s seriously SO delicious and your whole house will smell heavenly.
What defines a Bolognese sauce?
Bolognese sauce is a ragout that is made from a mixture of ground beef + vegetables. It is usually made with wine and milk and served over pasta.
Regular tomato sauce is usually meatless and much thinner
.
My version of Bolognese sauce is paleo, Whole30 friendly, gluten-free, and dairy-free, however, you can totally modify it if you don’t follow any of those diets. I love it with Parmesan cheese on top, and I’ve included a few other substitutions for you below!
How to Prevent Soaking Zucchini Noodles I am commonly asked how to avoid watery
zucchini noodles
. I have two tips for you on how to avoid soaked zucchini noodles.
I REALLY squeeze the water out of
- them: I use a thick, absorbent (and clean!) tea towel and squeeze the water out of the noodles, hard. The towel should be wet when ready. Then I place the zucchini noodles on a tray or bowl lined with a paper towel until it’s ready to use.
- Do not add zucchini noodles to the dish until it is ready to serve. If you are preparing meals, you can place the chicken/vegetable mixture in a bowl and place your raw zucchini noodles on top. When ready to eat, microwave or heat over the stove to avoid soft noodles.
We hope you love this hearty and delicious meal! It is one of our favorites and is always a hit when served to family/friends.
If you like ground turkey, check out these healthy ground turkey recipes!
