Here is my Nutritionist-approved version of low carb spaghetti with meat sauce simmered with deep, rich flavour, veggies, and lean ground turkey that I serve with spiralized zucchini noodles.
How to make a lean meat sauce from scratch
I’ve been making this meat sauce for decades now. It could be considered a Ragu Bolognese, but with a few different ingredients
Lean ground turkey: Typically, an Italian Ragu or Bolognese would be made with stewed meats like lamb, beef, sausage, or rabbit. This tomato meat sauce is made with ground turkey, making it leaner for those watching cardiovascular health
Veggies: Chopped carrot, onion, zucchini, celery and mushrooms give this sauce a nice texture and pack it with plenty of nutrients
Whole, peeled tomatoes: This recipe calls for a can of whole, peeled tomatoes. I love the San Marzano brand, straight from Italy, that are naturally sweet and vibrant. They are also packed in the tomato’s own juices. If you can get your hands on ripe tomatoes, you can stew or roast them, peel them, and use those in this sauce
Spices: Garlic, Italian seasoning, fresh or dried basil, sea salt and pepper keep this sauce simple, yet flavourful. If you have a herb garden, use fresh oregano, basil, parsley, and thyme in place of the Italian seasoning blend
Red wine: Optional, but a splash of red wine gives this sauce its nice deep flavour. After simmering the sauce for some time, the alcohol has evaporated, leaving you with the richness from the red wine grapes. Use a nice Chianti for an authentic tasting sauce. If you don’t want to use wine, try a splash of good quality balsamic vinegar
Butter: Just when you are ready to serve your sauce over pasta or spiralized noodles, stir in a tablespoon of butter. Typically, an Italian sauce would contain a splash of milk or cream at this stage, but I find that butter does a similar job and also gives a silky texture to the sauce. Milk, cream or butter is added to cut the acidity of the tomatoes
Sugar: An authentic sauce would only contain sugar if the tomatoes are not sweet enough. You would only need 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar in a sauce which helps to offset the acidity of the tomatoes and give them the sweetness that they should naturally contain. Leave it out if you feel your sauce is sweet enough or try adding a whole carrot while the sauce is simmering. Just be sure to remove it before serving
Optional tomato paste: If you like a thicker sauce, add 1/2 can of tomato paste. Personally, I like this particular sauce to be more chunky and meaty, and less ‘saucy’, so I leave the tomato paste out
What to serve meat sauce with
Spiralized vegetables: Zucchini and butternut squash make the best, low carb “spaghetti” without the refined carbs or gluten, and with more nutrition. An electric spiralizer is the fastest way to get your noodles made while the sauce is simmering
Bean pasta: Another pasta alternative is one that is made from beans, like chickpea rotini, red lentil penne, or black bean linguini. Most of these can be found in the “gluten-free” aisle in the grocery store
Over Spaghetti squash: We love using roasted spaghetti squash in place of starchy pasta
In a lasagna: Whether you’re using lasagna noodles or thinly sliced zucchini as “noodles”, a hearty tomato meat sauce (bolognese) is a must in a healthy lasagna recipe
Low Carb Zucchini Noodles With Lean Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1/2 yellow onion diced
- 1 large carrot diced
- 1/2 small zucchini diced
- 1 celery rib diced
- 3 mushrooms chopped
- 2 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 28 oz can of whole, peeled tomatoes
- 1 Tbsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 2 Tbsp red wine
- 4 fresh basil leaves chopped or torn
- 1 Tbsp butter
Instructions
- Brown a pound of ground turkey with olive oil in a deep dutch oven or pot with lid. As it’s cooking, add in the salt and Italian seasoning
- Chop the veggies well and add them to the meat. Cook until the onion is translucent (around 5 minutes)
- Add in the minced garlic and a can of whole tomatoes with their sauce. Fill the same can half way with water and add it to the sauce. If you decide to add tomato paste, add that in now
- Add a splash of red wine and 1/2 teaspoon of sugar (if needed), cover the pot with a lid, and let the sauce simmer on low for at least an hour. Occasionally stir and use a spoon or potato masher to break up the whole tomatoes as they cook
- Just as you are ready to serve your sauce over your pasta of choice, stir in a tablespoon of butter for a silky texture and the cut the acidity of the tomatoes
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