Turkey Bolognese with Zucchini Noodles {gluten free}

An Italian classic made MUCH lighter with ground turkey and zucchini noodles. You can eat this hearty meal of turkey Bolognese with zucchini noodles with no guilt at all!

For so long, I’ve wanted to buy a spiralizer. I’ve been hesitant to pull the trigger because of storage reasons, and because my husband already thinks I have way too many kitchen gadgets. But it went on sale one day and I finally bought it. And I’m so glad I did! I’m obsessed! I love, love, love it.

And Ben does too. We haven’t had regular pasta since the purchase of this little gadget. We’ve been all about the zoooooodles. Zoodles. Zucchini Noodles.

Added veggies, less carbs, looser pants….win, win, win.

I first heard about the spiralizer on my blogging friend Ali’s site — Inspiralized. All of Ali’s recipes are made using a spiralizer so if you need a little more motivation to purchase one, head on over there.

But anyways, this isn’t a “buy a spiralizer post” and it isn’t a “read Ali’s site” post (although I highly recommend you do both of those things). This is a “make this recipe!” post. Because it’s a winner!

And if you don’t have a spiralizer, you can still make zucchini noodles — use this tutorial from Ali’s site (there I go again!).

Another great thing about zucchini noodles is that this meal only makes one pan dirty. I mean…I love spaghetti as an easy fall-back meal on those nights when I don’t know what else to make but I hate all the dishes it makes dirty. Okay, I know it’s only really two pans (and a colander!) but one is less than two. So this recipe wins. 

I prepare the turkey Bolognese in a large high-sided skillet and then just toss the zucchini noodles in the sauce with tongs and let them cook slightly (really they just need to warm but if you cook them a little longer they have more of a pasta texture).

Hope you guys love zucchini noodles as much as we do! My in-laws tease me because I always use whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta. They’re really going to think I’ve gone over the edge now.

You can make a great salad with zucchini noodles too! I love these pizza zucchini noodles when I’m craving pizza – it’s such a healthy alternative! (Or this mason jar salad! One of my favorites.)

Healthy and fun zoodles!

I love to make noodles out of zucchini and other vegetables! Here’s a few more recipes for you:

 

• Shrimp Alfredo with carrot noodles
• How to make Sweet Potato Noodles
• Zucchini Noodle Salad with Beans, Feta, and Lemon
• Greek Cucumber Noodle Bowls with Turkey Meatballs

We love this turkey Bolognese with zucchini noodles. We have it for dinner often. However, if you’re looking for a more classic Bolognese, try this easy Instant Pot Bolognese. We also love this easy Turkey Bolognese recipe or Vegan Bolognese with lentils and quinoa. 

Did you make this? Be sure to leave a review below and tag me @rachelcooksblog on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!

Recipe

Get the Recipe: Turkey Bolognese with Zucchini Noodles {gluten free}

5 from 2 votes

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 25 minutes mins

Total Time: 40 minutes mins

4 servings

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An Italian classic made MUCH lighter with ground turkey and zucchini noodles. You can eat this hearty meal with no guilt at all!

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ 1 pound extra lean ground turkey
• ▢ 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• ▢ 1 celery stalk, finely diced
• ▢ 1 large or two small carrots, finely diced
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
• ▢ 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
• ▢ one 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes
• ▢ 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• ▢ 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• ▢ 1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
• ▢ 4-6 small zucchini

Instructions

• In a very large, deep sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the turkey, onion, celery, and carrot. Season with salt and pepper and sauté (breaking up the turkey into small pieces) until turkey is cooked through and vegetables are softened.
• Add red pepper flakes and garlic and sauté for another 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add in the crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, diced tomatoes, oregano, and brown sugar. Bring to a boil and then lower heat to medium low and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Add basil and stir to combine. Taste for seasonings and add more sugar, salt, pepper as desired.
• While the sauce is cooking, prepare the zucchini noodles using a spiralizer or other methods described in this post. After the sauce has cooked, toss in zucchini noodles using tongs and let cook for 3-4 minutes.

Notes

• This recipe can easily be made Whole30 compliant by leaving out the teaspoon of brown sugar.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1of 4, Calories: 387kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 44g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g, Cholesterol: 81mg, Sodium: 599mg, Fiber: 11g, Sugar: 20g

This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.

© Author: Rachel Gurk

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