If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I eat my “Bikini Bolognese” every other week, at the very least.
It’s what Lu requests for dinner most nights, and since I try to eat primarily plant-based, I like to keep it to every other week, but I must admit, my body does crave it too!
So what’s the difference between my Bikini Bolognese (found in my first cookbook) and this recipe?
Well, this turkey bolognese with zucchini noodles is basically my easy, busy weeknight version. It’s the recipe I make when I literally have 20-30 minutes to make dinner. On a quick night, I can make this dish in 20-25 minutes. When I’m taking a bit more time, it’s more like 30 minutes.
My original Bikini Bolognese (first featured on the blog here and then later improved for my first cookbook) includes making a totally fresh tomato sauce and pureeing the veggies in a food processor. If you do this, the consistency is less chunky, it’s more like a ragu and melts in with the turkey sauce.
As for the fresh tomato sauce, there are so many great jarred tomato sauces these days, it’s not necessary to make your own sauce, unless you have the time. I love Victoria Fine Foods and Rao’s, they’re both my favorite go-tos. The turkey meat and veggies absorb the flavors in the sauce and make a delicious, low-fat meat sauce.
I love both versions. I like the chunky veggies, but I also like the more ragu style pureed veggies. It totally depends on the day, but during the busy weeknights, I’m all about today’s version.
And why did I call it Bikini Bolognese?
Well, when I first started this blog I definitely tried to get a little creative with my blog post titles. Bikini Bolognese meant “it’s so healthy, you can eat it while in a bikini!” Basically, I was trying to say that you won’t feel bloated like you would if you ate a traditional big bowl of spaghetti bolognese. Get it? Clever, but certainly an odd title.
Funny enough, I have some frozen sauce leftover from when I made this dish last week, so I’ll most likely be having this for dinner, with some leftover multi-grain bread my mother brought over for Easter.
Tonight’s dinner will take no more than 10 minutes! Just heat up the sauce in a pot and while it heats up, spiralize the zucchinis, toss them in a non-stick skillet or wok and cook until al dente, about 5 minutes or to your preference. As simple as that!
Watch our video to learn how to make our Turkey Bolognese with Zucchini Noodles and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch more videos:
Nutritional Information & Recipe
Weight Watchers SmartPoints*: 10 points
*These points were calculated using the official Weight Watchers SmartPoints calculator. We are in no way affiliated with Weight Watchers, we are providing this information based on popular demand.
Turkey Bolognese with Zucchini Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 2 carrots peeled, diced
- 1 small red onion peeled, diced
- 2 celery ribs diced
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pound ground turkey lean
- 2.5 teaspoons oregano flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes or more
- salt and pepper
- 1 24 oz jar tomato basil sauce I like Victoria Fine Foods or Rao’s
- 4 large zucchinis or about 6 medium zucchinis
- grated parmesan cheese to garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oil a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once oil is shimmering, add in the carrots, onion, and celery. Cook until the vegetables soften and then add in the red pepper flakes, half of the garlic and let cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Push the veggies to one side of the skillet and then add in the ground turkey, crumbling with a wooden spoon. Season the meat with oregano, salt, pepper, and the rest of the garlic. Cook the meat until browned and then combine the veggies with the meat.
- Pour the sauce over the meat and veggie mixture and stir until combined. Season again with salt and pepper. Let cook for 5-7 minutes to let veggies and meat soak up the sauce and the flavors to develop. Reduce heat to low, cover, and keep hot while you continue with the recipe.
- Once you add the sauce to the pan, heat a large non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Once pan heats, add the zucchini noodles and cook for 5 minutes or until cooked to your preference (3-5 minutes for al dente, 5-7 minutes for a softer noodle.) When done, drain into a colander and pat dry. You may need to do this in batches, if you don’t have a large enough wok/skillet.
- Divide the noodles onto plates, top with the turkey meat sauce and garnish with parmesan cheese, if using.
Recipe Notes
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