This easy turkey bolognese with spaghetti squash is by far one of my favorite cozy dinners for the cold weather. It is perfect to make the night of or even meal prep for the upcoming week! It is naturally gluten free, dairy free and a low carb option.
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This recipe is one that is on a consistent rotation in the winter for many recipes. First, this easy turkey bolognese with spaghetti squash is the perfect warm dinner for the chilly winter nights. Second, it comes together in no time. Most of the time I prep the spaghetti squash on Sunday so that the dinner during the week only takes 20 minutes from start to finish. And third, it is extremely budget friendly! Between the seasonal produce items and easily accessible meat options, this dinner is super affordable.
Another reason I love this meal is because it provides many hidden vegetables.. aka perfect for picky eaters! Between all the flavor, it is hard to tell that there are onions, carrots, mushrooms and spinach all inside the bolognese recipe! The key here is to chop the vegetables up extremely fine so that they seamlessly blend into the meat texture.
SO… what will you need to make this easy turkey bolognese with spaghetti squash?
- Onions
- Carrots
- Mushrooms
- Ground Turkey
- Olive Oil
- Tomato Sauce
- Spinach
- Dried Basil
- Dried Oregano
- Spaghetti Squash
Easy Cooking Hack:
My favorite quick trick is using pre-made tomato sauce. Finding a quality brand, such as Rao’s Homemade, that does not have any added sugar is key for me. By using tomato sauce vs. canned tomatoes, you reduce the time needed for the tomatoes to cook down and decrease acidity.
Can I make any substitutions or add more ingredients?
- Meat: You can use ground chicken, beef, pork or turkey for this recipe, or you can replace with steamed lentils or chopped up tofu.
- Spinach: you can easily remove the spinach or replace/add kale for a different, hearty green!
- Mushrooms: You can remove these if you would prefer. If you want you can replace with chopped up bell peppers or zucchini using the same measurements.
- Cheese: This recipe does not include any cheese, but feel free to add!
- Spaghetti squash: You can easily replace with a pasta of your choice, roasted potatoes or rice!
Storing the bolognese:
Store in the fridge for up to 1 week. If you aren’t eating them immediately, you can store them in freezer in freezer safe container for up to 6 months.
What to pair with the bolognese:
There are many ways to enjoy the bolognese. You can eat it alone or add on top of your favorite whole grain pasta, chickpea pasta, brown rice pasta or spaghetti squash. All of these are great options. If you try this with another base and enjoy it, leave it in the comments below!
Need more Italian recipes? Check these out!
- Pesto Chicken and Quinoa Stuffed Peppers
- Chicken Parm Stuffed Meatballs
- One Pan Spinach Artichoke and Tomato Pasta
Don’t forget to pin this recipe to save for later:
Easy Turkey Bolognese with Spaghetti Squash
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Easy Turkey Bolognese with Spaghetti Squash
Equipment
- Sheet Pan
- Saute Pan
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground turkey sub any ground meat
- 1/2 white onion finely diced
- 1 cup carrots finely diced
- 4 cups spinach
- 1 15 oz jar tomato basil sauce
- 1 cup mushrooms finely diced
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 spaghetti squash
Instructions
Spaghetti Squash
- Preheat oven to 425°F
- Carefully slice the spaghetti squash long ways down the middle
- Place open side down on a parchment paper lined baking tray (or use a spray olive oil to prevent sticking if you are using tin foil or nothing)
- Bake at 425°F for 45 minutes
Turkey Bolognese
- In a saute pan, add olive oil, onions, ground turkey and carrots until the turkey is a light brown color and onions are translucent. Cook on medium heat
- Then add mushrooms and cook for 2 more minutes.
- Add tomato basil sauce, basil and oregano. Bring to a slight boil, then reduce down to low/medium heat. Add the spinach, stir and cover for 10 minutes.
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