A homemade red sauce with turkey & red wine that comes together in an hour & is perfect for a weeknight meal with the family!

Traditional Italian Bolognese sauce is made with ground beef. I personally don’t eat much beef, and prefer to use turkey in it’s place for most traditionally beef based recipes (for example, my mini turkey burger bites). Ground turkey is lower in fat, and remains high in protein. One serving of this pasta contains 28 grams of protein- which is honestly fairly high for a pasta based dish. Red wine gives this homemade turkey bolognese a velvety undertone that is memorable & will have your family asking for more. Lets get started!

If you have time, I recommend pairing this with some fresh homemade pasta. Check out my tutorial on this topic- it will surprise you with how simple it is.

What type of red wine is needed for this dish?

I use cabernet sauvignon. Why? Because I know I’ll drink the rest of it. But seriously, any dry red wine will do- but if you’re a wine drinker try to use a wine that you would also drink so you aren’t wasteful.

What you need to make Homemade Turkey Bolognese:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 small yellow onion, minced
• about 3 small carrots, minced
• 1 tsp salt, you probably won’t use all of it
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced– I used more than three in all honesty. If you love garlic you can’t add too much.
• 1 lb ground turkey, 93/7 lean
• 1 tbsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 3/4 cup dry red wine
• 28 oz crushed tomatoes
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 1 lb pasta, long pasta like linguine or paradelle

Let’s get cooking!

First things first, prep your onions & carrots. While you’re prepping these, bring a Dutch oven or large pot to medium heat. Once the pan is warm, add the oil. Let the oil warm, and add the onions, carrots, & 1/4 of the salt. I usually add the carrots a few minutes before the onions, they take longer to soften. After the onions and carrots are soft, add the garlic. Sauté for a minute. Add the turkey, oregano, and red pepper flakes.

Cook the turkey through, and add the wine. Switch stirring utensils so that you have one that has not touched raw meat. Simmer for about ten minutes, or until the alcohol is cooked out.

Add the crushed tomatoes and tomato paste, and 1/4 of the salt. Taste test here and add more salt if needed. Add the whole milk, and simmer for at least 30 minutes but longer if time allows.

While your sauce is simmering, bring a pot of SALTED water to a boil for your pasta. What did I say in my Vodka Sauce recipe?! You want that water salty.

Cook the pasta al dente, and toss it in the sauce. Again, we want to marry the pasta with the sauce so it can soak in the flavors we worked so hard to create.

I prefer to serve this with Pecorino Romano, it’s a sharp & salty Italian cheese made from sheep’s milk that melts evenly.

That’s all, serve & enjoy!!

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