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This simple Ground Turkey Spaghetti Sauce is an easy way to add veggies into your pasta dinner. Veggie packed and simmered with basil, oregano and plenty of garlic. Freezer friendly and tastes even better the second day so leftovers are always a bonus!
When "spaghetti" is the answer to the question, "What's for dinner?" you never have any complaints.
This simple Ground Turkey Spaghetti Sauce makes for a delicious way to pack some extra veggies into everyone's favorite dinner!
Why you will love this:
- It is veggie packed. This is a veggie loaded recipe that I get very little complaints on. The veggies are chopped so small and once the ground turkey spaghetti sauce is tossed with pasta and cheese, no one knows the difference. Well, my 3 year old will pick the meat out but that is another story.
- Little helpers will love helping chop veggies. This sauce and chili are my favorite ways to get the help in the kitchen. Chopping all of the veggies certainly takes the most time for this sauce recipe, so doing it along side my little one helps. Bonus: getting them to help prep the food makes them more likely to eat it!
- Leftovers are the very best. I love a dish that I can eat off of for several days. This meat sauce tastes even better the second day after all the flavors and spices have time to really meld.
- Super freezer friendly. You can make a batch or two and freeze plenty for several months or longer. This makes for a quick meal on a night when you just don't have the energy or you didn't plan dinner ahead of time.
Ingredients you will need:
- Tomato sauce is not the same as marinara sauce. Tomato sauce is typically in the grocery aisle near the diced tomatoes and tomato paste.
- I prefer a less lean ground turkey for this turkey spaghetti sauce. This adds more flavor and keeps the meat nice and moist. I typically opt for something around 85/15 ground turkey. You could use ground chicken in this recipe as well.
- Veggie packed is my game plan with this sauce. I dice things up really small and no one really complains once tossed with pasta and cheese. Add more if you please! Mushrooms are great in this sauce as well.
How to make this recipe:
- Heat olive oil over medium high heat until glistening. Add in the onions, bell peppers and carrots. Cook stirring several times for about 3-5 minutes to slightly soften. (step 1)
- Add in the ground turkey and garlic and cook until turkey is brown and cooked through. The bonus of ground turkey is that there really isn't any grease or oil to drain so you should be fine to skip draining. (step 2)
- Add in the rest of the ingredients: crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce and paste, oregano, basil, salt, pepper and red pepper if desired. Stir well to mix. (step 3)
- Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for about 30 minutes or until the veggies are all tender and the sauce has thickened. If the sauce starts to bubble too much, lower the heat to low.
- I go by the carrots on this one to determine if the turkey spaghetti sauce is ready. They usually take the longest to soften. If the sauce is not thickened to your liking, you can add an extra tablespoon or two of tomato paste. (step 4)
Notes and Tips:
- Use the carrots to help determine if this ground turkey spaghetti sauce is ready. They typically take the longest to become tender. You can even sauté them a few minutes longer in step one to help this sauce cook more quickly.
- Leftovers are even better than freshly cooked sauce. After about 24 hours of chilling, the flavors and spices have been able to meld and are enhanced. You will be so pleased eating this days in a row.
- You can make this sauce a day in advance of when you plan to serve it. Based on the fact that the second day it tastes better, you may want to opt to make it early!
- This ground turkey spaghetti sauce is super freezer friendly. Put it in a freezer safe container and seal. If air tight it should keep for about 4 months or even longer. Make several batches and freeze a ton--you will be set!
Other recipes to try:
- Ground Turkey Enchiladas with Sweet Potatoes
- Ground Turkey Teriyaki Stir Fry
- Mozzarella Stuffed Turkey Meatballs
- Sun-Dried Tomato, Spinach and Feta Turkey Burgers
- Simple Turkey Pepper Skillet
- Easy Turkey Chili
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Ground Turkey Spaghetti Sauce
This simple Ground Turkey Spaghetti Sauce is an easy way to add veggies into your pasta dinner. Veggie packed and simmered with basil, oregano and plenty of garlic. Freezer friendly and tastes even better the second day so leftovers are always a bonus!
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Servings: 8
Calories: 188kcal
Ingredients
- 2 - 3 carrots finely chopped
- 1 green bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 red bell pepper finely chopped
- 1 onion diced
- 2 T olive oil
- 1 lb ground Turkey
- 1 can (28 oz.) crushed tomatoes
- 1 can (15 oz.) tomato sauce
- 1 can (6 oz.) tomato paste
- 4-5 garlic cloves minced
- ½ T dried oregano
- ½ T dried basil
- ½ teaspoon sea salt more to taste
- ½ teaspoon cracked pepper
- ¼-½ teaspoon red pepper optional
Instructions
- Heat olive oil over medium high heat until glistening in a large pot. Add the carrots, bell peppers and onion and cook for about 3-4 minutes to soften slightly. Add in the ground turkey and cook until browned and cooked through.
- Add the crushed tomatoes, tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic, oregano, basil and salt and peppers and stir to combine. Shift the heat to medium low and simmer for about 30 minutes until veggies are softened and sauce has thickened slightly.
- Serve over your favorite pasta and enjoy! Store in an air tight container for up to one week. You can also freeze this sauce in a freezer safe container.
Notes
- Use the carrots to help determine if this ground turkey spaghetti sauce is ready. They typically take the longest to become tender. You can even sauté them a few minutes longer in step one to help this sauce cook more quickly.
- Leftovers are even better than freshly cooked sauce. After about 24 hours of chilling, the flavors and spices have been able to meld and are enhanced. You will be so pleased eating this days in a row.
- You can make this sauce a day in advance of when you plan to serve it. Based on the fact that the second day it tastes better, you may want to opt to make it early!
- This ground turkey sauce is super freezer friendly. Put it in a freezer safe container and seal. If air tight it should keep for about 4 months or even longer. Make several batches and freeze a ton--you will be set!
Nutrition
Calories: 188kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 18g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 31mg | Sodium: 203mg | Potassium: 1064mg | Fiber: 6g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 7680IU | Vitamin C: 52mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 3mg
Did you try this recipe? I would love to see it! Mention @LemonsAndZest or tag #LemonsAndZest!
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WJR says
This was amazing! I cheated a bit and put the carrots, green pepper, and onion into the food processor... it made it even smaller, so the kids didn't notice all the fresh veggies. I also used fresh tomatoes from my garden instead of canned crushed tomatoes, and that was really great. As one other commented mentioned, I added in two bay leaves, and I also fine-chopped a bit of rosemary from my garden. The meal was a hit, and I'll definitely be making this one again!
Lorie says
I don't think that is cheating, I think it is being extra smart! So glad you loved it, and love the addition of all the garden fresh veggies! Thanks so much for sharing!
Lynn says
Not sure if you got my first post, I didn't put my name or email. Silly me.
I made this recipe today but not serving until tomorrow, they say it's better the next day. I did omit the peppers. I did add a tablespoon of sugar to get rid of the acidy flavor.
It put this recipe on my weight watchers app its onlt 3 points per serving. Your recipe says 8 servings, but how much is in each serving, do you know.
I'm serving this sauce with spaghetti squash. Nice and healthy.
Thanks, Lynn
Lorie says
Always better the next day in my opinion! Sorry for the delayed response. A serving is roughly one cup, slightly more than one cup actually. But omitting the peppers may make it exactly that I think!
Debbie H says
Made this recipe tonight 👍. I didn’t have green pepper & added yellow zucchini to it & a Bay leaf! We will make this one again!
Lorie says
Wonderful to hear this Debbie! Love the added zucchini 100%!
Loren says
Simply delicious! And love the addition of peppers and carrots
Lorie says
So happy to hear it! One of our family favorites.
Kerri says
I tried to update my original review I left but there wasn't an option to do that.
I have made this fresh spaghetti sauce a couple times now for Spaghetti, Chicken Parmesan, and now Lasagna.
I made the meat sauce exactly as written. I wilted, then pressed all the water out of a bag of fresh spinach and added it to the Ricotta mixture and I used no boil noodles, it turned out just perfect! Even though the sauce was a little more thick - it STILL turned out amazing! I did not add any water or additional liquids so for those of you who love no boil Lasagna noodles this is the sauce for you!
It is the best Lasagna I've ever eaten.
This is my only go to recipe for meat spaghetti sauce.
Thanks for sharing! It's another home run!
Lorie says
Yum, yum YUM!!!! Kerri, thanks so much for the update!! I keep some on hand in the freezer often so I know what I’ll be using it for next!!
Kerri says
What a great idea to add veggies to the sauce, I don't know why I didn't think to do that while raising my kids.
This is the BEST sauce I've ever eaten, so super fresh! With all the veggies and crushed tomatoes it really took this sauce to a whole new level. No more boring turkey meat sauce for me those days are over! I will be making this sauce like this until the end of my days. I am forwarding the recipe on to all of my family.
Note - this sauce will also be great in lasagna because it's thicker than regular jarred sauces.
Thanks so much for sharing!
Lorie says
Kerri--it's soooo good in lasagna! I love this sauce so much and will literally eat it by the spoonful. Happy you feel the same way!
Erica says
Super fresh, love it!!! You can easily substitute and hide veggies. This sauce is a winner ❤️.
Lorie says
That is exactly why I love this one! Hiding veggies is my thing!
Nikki says
This is so delicious! It says it’s 8 servings…what should the size of each serving be? 1 cup?
Lorie says
Hi Nikki! Yes it's roughly one cup.