This Veg Forward Weeknight Bolognese is not your traditional Italian Bolognese, but it’s definitely comparable in satisfaction and deliciousness! This dish is packed with veggies, flavor, and protein – I love to keep the bolognese more chunky rather than saucy, and so you can have
Instead of pasta being the star of the show in this dish, I like to think of the bolognese (with all those yummy veggies, turkey, and tomatoes) as as the star and the pasta as a nice element inside the bolognese.

Ingredients and Substitutions
Poblano Pepper – A mild, long, dark green pepper, this ingredient adds a delicious flavor to the bolognese. You can omit this or substitute with 2 jalapeño peppers.
Mirepoix (yellow onion, celery, carrot) – The base of the bolognese and the perfect combo to bring a well-balanced flavor profile to the dish. Feel free to substitute red onions for yellow. You can omit the onions, just note it will not have the sweetness and depth of flavor.
Garlic – I use freshly minced garlic to add an aromatic aroma. Feel free to substitute with 2 teaspoons of garlic powder.
Seasonings – Olive oil, kosher salt, black pepper, and red chili flake are essentials in this dish. I prefer to keep this one simple, but you can feel free to add dried or fresh oregano here as well.
Tomato Paste – Tomato paste is a concentrated flavor booster that is great for keeping the bolognese chunky and still having a rich tomato flavor.
Ground Turkey – A lean protein that contributes most of the protein to the bolognese. Again, this isn’t traditional Bolognese, but it’s a veggie packed, high protein version that is also delicious. Feel free to substitute ground beef, ground pork, or ground chicken here.
Diced tomatoes – The element that brings the bolognese it’s iconic color and sauciness. I make sure not to use too much diced tomatoes, or else this can be more saucy than chunky. Feel free to substitute with 3 fresh tomatoes.
Milk – Whole milk helps bring the creamy consistency to the bolognese. You can also substitute heavy cream or any other milk – just note that if you’re using a lower fat milk, it may begin to curdle.
Pasta – You can use your favorite pasta here, but I like a fresh tagliatelle. Short pastas like a rigatoni would also be great with the chunkier sauce.
Video tutorial:

Veg Forward Weeknight Bolognese
- Total Time: 45 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
Veg forward weeknight bolognese is my easy, delicious and veggie packed take on one of my favorite Italian foods.
Ingredients
- 1 poblano pepper, diced
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- 3 stalks of celery, diced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flake
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 14 ounce can of diced tomatoes
- 1/4 cup of water
- 3/4 cup of whole milk
- 8 ounces of pasta of choice
Instructions
-
Chop all the vegetables – dice the poblano pepper, onion, celery, and carrots. You can place all the veggies in the same bowl. Also mince the garlic.
-
Heat a large pan on medium high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then add all the diced veggies and a big pinch of kosher salt. Cook for 7-8 minutes, or until the veggies are soft, stirring occasionally.
-
In the meantime, bring a pot of water up to a boil (for the pasta) and clean up your cutting board. Once the water is boiling, heavily salt your boiling water and boil your pasta of choice. When it’s cooked to your liking, strain the pasta (but don’t rinse it).
-
Once the veggies are soft (you can taste a piece, and it shouldn’t be crunchy), add the minced garlic and red pepper flake. Stir until aromatic, about 1 minute, then make some space at the bottom the pan. Add the tomato paste, stir it around a bit, then stir to mix it in with the rest of the veggies.
-
Push the veggies to ⅓ of the pan. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and add the ground turkey. Season the ground turkey with more kosher salt, ground pepper, and begin to break it into bite sized pieces. Once you’ve ground up the turkey, about 3 minutes later, mix together with the veggies. If you begin to notice your veggies are a bit dry and are starting to burn, add a bit more oil to that side and give the veggies a stir.
-
Add the diced tomatoes to the mixture and another big pinch of salt. Then, add the water and whole milk and give everything a stir. Taste, adjust seasoning as desired, and serve over your pasta. Top with parmesan cheese, and enjoy!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Healthy
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Recommendations for Reheating and Storing:
If you’re making this for 2 people like I do, I recommend making just enough pasta to eat that day. This would be decent for meal prep, but not my favorite as I find the quality of pasta deteriorates significantly the next day. Your leftovers of the bolognese will be just as good (if not better the next day as it develops more flavor overnight). Top the leftovers onto freshly cooked pasta, and it will be delicious!
If you want to freeze the bolognese sauce, you can also do so and reheat from frozen or defrosted.
Top tips for leftovers:
- Store the bolognese sauce leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. This itself (without the pasta) will stay fresh and delicious for up to 5 days.
- The bolognese sauce can also go into the freezer for up to 6 months. Be sure to label the container, and you can reheat on the stovetop straight from the freezer, or defrost overnight and then reheat.
- The best way to enjoy leftovers is to freshly make the pasta and mix the reheated bolognese with the pasta.
Ingredient Cost Breakdown:
1 poblano pepper, diced – $.50
1 yellow onion, diced – $.30
3 stalks of celery, diced – $1
2 carrots, diced – $.75
4 cloves garlic, minced – $.25
Seasonings (salt, pepper, red chili flake, olive oil) – $.50
1 tablespoon tomato paste – $.25
1 lb ground turkey – $7
14 ounce can of diced tomatoes – $2.50
¼ cup of water
¾ cup of whole milk – $.62
8 ounces of pasta – $1.25
Leave a Reply