Turkey Bolognese – Easy One-Pot Pasta Dinner

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This easy one-pot turkey bolognese is kid-approved, packed with protein, and perfect for busy weeknights.

One-Pot Turkey Bolognese

I’ve always loved a good bolognese sauce. It’s classic comfort food, and over the years I’ve shared several versions on Skinnytaste and in my cookbooks. This one-pot turkey bolognese cooks the pasta directly in the sauce, creating a rich, cohesive dish with less cleanup. While traditional bolognese is made with beef (and often pork), ground turkey works beautifully here, absorbing all the tomato, garlic, and herb flavors as it simmers. It’s exactly the kind of family-friendly dinner I rely on when I want something comforting yet practical for busy weeknights.

Bolognese is one of my all-time favorites—I’ve made it just about every way you can think of. I already have Instant Pot Beef Bolognese, Vegetarian Lentil Bolognese, and Slow Cooker Bolognese on the site, but one version was still missing: a lighter ground turkey take where the sauce and pasta cook together in the same pot for ultimate convenience. I love meals like this because they simplify both cooking and cleanup.

Why This Ground Turkey Pasta Recipe Works

• I’ve been developing one-pot pasta recipes for years: Cooking the pasta directly in the sauce builds flavor and creates a rich, cohesive texture without extra steps.
• One pan, less cleanup: Everything cooks in a single skillet, making it perfect for busy weeknights.
• High-protein comfort: Ground turkey keeps the sauce lighter while still delivering a filling, protein-packed meal.
• Family-approved: It has all the cozy appeal of classic bolognese, but in a streamlined version that fits real life.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Here are some notes on the turkey bolognese ingredients. See the recipe card below for the exact measurements.

• 93% Lean Ground Turkey: Classic bolognese uses pork and beef, but I went with turkey for a leaner option.
• Salt to season the turkey
• Olive Oil to sauté the vegetables
• Soffrito: The Italian term for chopped onion, carrot, and celery, known as “mirepoix” in French
• Tomato Paste for richness and depth
• Garlic: A classic Italian ingredient
• Pasta: Any short pasta shape works, but I prefer mezze rigatoni (a shorter rigatoni) or fusilli. If you use a different type, you may need to adjust the cooking time.
• Crushed Tomatoes are the base of this sauce, so it’s essential to use high-quality ones. Tuttorosso is my go-to.
• Chicken Bone Broth provides additional protein, but feel free to use regular broth.
• Calabrian Chili Paste is optional, but I like it for a bit of a kick.
• Parmesan Cheese: Grate the cheese into the sauce for richness, then top your bowl with extra.
• Basil for freshness
• Ricotta to make it even creamier

How to Make One Pot Turkey Bolognese

In this easy ground turkey pasta recipe, the meat, sauce, and pasta cook in the same pot. See the recipe card at the bottom for printable directions.

1. Brown the meat in a large pot and season with salt. When it’s no longer pink, remove it from the heat.
2. Sauté the vegetables in olive oil until soft, then add the tomato paste and garlic. Cook the tomato paste for a couple of minutes to caramelize it and deepen the flavor.
3. Stir in the remaining ingredients: pasta, cooked turkey, tomatoes, broth, and chili paste.
4. Cook the pasta and sauce: Bring the pot to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the pasta is tender and the liquid is absorbed. Make sure to stir it occasionally so the pasta cooks evenly and doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
5. Garnish: Remove the pot from the heat and stir in the parmesan. Serve the bolognese with parmesan, basil, and ricotta, if desired.

Testing Notes

I made this for my family and tested it with both ground turkey and ground bison, and both worked beautifully. I’ve been developing one-pot pasta recipes for several years, here’s a few tips to help you get the best results:

• Use short pasta that holds sauce well: Shapes like mezze rigatoni, penne, or rotini work best. Cooking times may vary slightly by brand and shape.
• Avoid protein and bronze-cut pasta: Protein pasta doesn’t release enough starch, which can leave the sauce too thin. Bronze-cut pasta releases too much starch in a one-pot recipe, which can make it gummy.
• Protein swaps work: Ground bison tasted great for another lean option, and lean ground beef can be used if preferred.
• Adjust the sauce if needed: If the pasta is cooked but there’s still extra liquid in the pan, simmer uncovered for a few minutes until the sauce thickens and coats the pasta.

Serving Suggestions

Turkey bolognese pairs well with roasted vegetables, green salads, or bread. Here are some side dish recipes for inspiration.

Storage

• Refrigerate leftover pasta for up to 4 days.
• Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge before reheating.
• Reheat in the microwave until warm. The noodles may absorb some of the sauce, so if it’s too thick, add a splash of broth, water, or jarred marinara to thin it.

More One-Pot Pasta Recipes You’ll Love

For more dinner ideas using pasta, check out these five delicious one-pot recipes to inspire your next meal! If you’re looking for more easy, no-fuss ways to get dinner on the table, check out my Skinnytaste One and Done cookbook.

Prep: 15 minutes mins

Cook: 30 minutes mins

Total: 45 minutes mins

Yield: 4 servings

Serving Size: 1 ½ cups

Cook Mode

• ▢ 1 pound 93% ground turkey
• ▢ 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ▢ ½ tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• ▢ ½ yellow onion, chopped
• ▢ 1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
• ▢ 1 celery rib, chopped
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 1 clove garlic, minced
• ▢ 10 ounces uncooked mezze rigatoni, or fusilli pasta (or your favorite GF pasta)
• ▢ 1 ½ cups canned crushed tomatoes, Tuttoroso
• ▢ 2 ½ cups chicken bone broth, I used Swanson
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Calabrian chili paste, optional
• ▢ ¼ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
• ▢ fresh basil, for garnish
• ▢ ricotta, optional for serving

• Heat a large deep skillet over medium high heat. Spray with olive oil and brown the meat with 1 teaspoon salt. Add the ground turkey and break into small pieces. Cook until the turkey is no longer pink, 5-7 minutes. Set aside.

• Add the olive oil, onion, carrot, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have started to soften, about 5 minutes.

• Add the tomato paste and garlic; stir it into the turkey mixture. Cook for a few minutes, until fully coated. Add the pasta, cooked meat, crushed tomatoes, bone broth, and Calabrian chili paste, if using. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium low to maintain a gentle simmer.

• Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the parmesan cheese.

• Serve topped with extra parmesan cheese, basil, and ricotta if using.

Last Step:

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• Any short pasta that holds sauce would be good for this recipe, cooking times may slightly vary.
• I found that protein pasta or bronze cut pasta doesn’t work as well for one pot pastas, protein pasta doesn’t have as much starch so the sauce ends up being much thinner. Bronze cut pasta has too much starch and comes out gummy.
• Ground bison or lean ground beef can also be used.

Serving: 1 ½ cups, Calories: 509 kcal, Carbohydrates: 60.5 g, Protein: 37.5 g, Fat: 14 g, Saturated Fat: 3.5 g, Cholesterol: 88 mg, Sodium: 946 mg, Fiber: 5 g, Sugar: 6.5 g