This turkey bolognese features tender butternut squash and ground turkey in a rich sauce simmered slowly for lots of flavor and tossed with tender pappardelle pasta.
You just can’t go wrong with a good bolognese on the dinner rotation this time of year! Y’all, the way this bolognese made my house smell is probably something you could put in a candle and sell a million of, it’s that good.
To no one’s surprise, it tastes even better than it smells and that’s the magic of a good slow-simmered sauce for ya.
We’re no strangers to bolognese around here and while today’s version is similar to my beloved slow cooker bolognese, it’s kinda in a category all its own because we’re inviting nourishing ingredients like butternut squash and ground turkey to the party.
The butternut squash especially gives this sauce an unmistakable fall feel that’s more than appropriate for this time of year with chillier temps on the horizon!
Catch me cozying up with a bowl of this for the next 6 months.
This Bolognese features…
- Tender butternut squash cubes and ground turkey
- A rich, flavorful sauce that gets slowly simmered
- Wide pappardelle noodles for holding all that wonderful sauce
Making the Bolognese
(scroll down to the bottom of the post for the full recipe)
Ingredients You Will Need
- Olive oil
- Ground turkey
- Butternut squash
- Yellow onion
- Carrot
- Celery
- Garlic
- Half and half cream
- White wine
- Whole tomatoes
- Granulated sugar
- Tomato paste
- Italian seasoning
- Bay leaf
- Pappardelle pasta
Choosing Your Pasta
I recommend a wide-noodle pasta for this bolognese such as pappardelle. The wide shape of this type of pasta holds a chunky, hearty sauce like bolognese very well.
Tips for Perfect Bolognese Sauce
- Cut butternut squash in 1/2-inch cubes – take care to cut the squash in uniform cubes so it cooks evenly.
- Reduce half-and-half and white wine – reducing these ingredients will concentrate their flavor into the sauce.
- Add sugar to sauce – a touch of sugar balances the acidity from the tomatoes.
- Simmer sauce 45 minutes to 1-1/2 hours – this simmer time is crucial for developing all the flavors.
- Add a splash of water to sauce if needed – if at any point during simmering the sauce gets too dry add a splash of water to loosen it up.
- Boil pasta to al dente – the pasta will continue cooking once it is added to the sauce so make sure you don’t overcook if during boiling.
Recipe Variations
Try these ideas for a different twist on the sauce.
- Use another meat – replace the ground turkey with ground beef, pork, or chicken.
- Try sweet potatoes – replace the butternut squash with cubed sweet potatoes.
- Skip the wine – if you would like an alcohol-free version, try replacing the wine with 1 cup apple cider and 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar. You can also use an alcohol-free white wine.
Freezing Sauce
If you would like to freeze the bolognese sauce I recommend not adding the pasta for freezing. Allow sauce to cool completely, store in a container with 1 inch of open air on top and freeze up to 2 months.
When ready to serve sauce, thaw in refrigerator, reheat on stovetop, and add pasta just before serving.
It’s almost unreal how many incredible aromatic savory flavors develop in this sauce! The butternut squash cooks up so tender and helps give the sauce a little chunkiness alongside the meaty ground turkey.
Comfort food season is officially on, friends!
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Try these other cozy pasta favorites next!
Butternut Squash Turkey Bolognese
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Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 lb ground turkey
- 3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
- 1 medium carrot, finely diced
- 2 stalks celery, finely diced
- 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup half and half cream
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1 can (28 oz) whole tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 dried bay leaf
- 8.8 oz pappardelle or other wide-noodle pasta, cooked according to package instructions to al dente
- Grated Parmesan cheese and fresh basil for serving
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a Dutch oven or large high-walled skillet over medium-high heat. Add ground turkey and saute over medium-high heat until meat is no longer pink. Remove meat from pan with a slotted spoon.
- Heat remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in same pan over medium-high heat. Add butternut squash, onion, carrot, and celery to pan and cook over medium-high heat 3-5 minutes until onion is translucent. Add garlic and cook 1 additional minute until fragrant.
- Pour half and half into pot and let simmer 3-5 minutes until liquid is nearly evaporated. Add wine to pot and let simmer an additional 5-8 minutes until wine is nearly evaporated.
- Add browned turkey, tomatoes, sugar, tomato paste, Italian seasoning, and bay leaf. Bring sauce to a simmer over medium-high heat, breaking up tomatoes against the side of pan with a wooden spoon.
- Reduce heat to low and allow sauce to simmer uncovered at least 45 minutes or up to 1-1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. If at any point sauce gets too dry, add a splash of water as needed.
- Remove bay leaf from sauce. Season sauce with salt and pepper to taste and fold warm cooked pasta into sauce when ready to serve. Top with Parmesan and basil for serving. Enjoy!
Kim Wilson says
I had to use ground beef since I didn’t have any turkey. It’s quite delicious.
I have a lot of bon bon squash, butternut squash and pumpkin in my freezer, I’m so happy I found your recipe
Sarah says
Great to hear, Kim!! Thanks for trying this one. 🙂