This Healthy Instant Pot Turkey Bolognese Sauce is just 156 calories and has 18.5 grams of protein!
You can serve this healthy turkey bolognese sauce over pasta, zoodles, spaghetti squash, just about any pasta (or pasta substitute) you like.
This Instant pot bolognese sauce is my favorite meat sauce recipe, and I know it will become your favorite as well!
This Instant Pot Turkey Bolognese Sauce Recipe is just 156 calories and has 18.5 grams of protein!
Healthy Instant Pot Turkey Bolognese Sauce
What You’ll Find in this Article:
Ingredients in Low Calorie Instant Pot Bolognese
These low calorie tips can low the fat and calories in all your meat sauce recipes, check them out!
Low Calorie Tips for Pasta with Bolognese Recipes:
- Olive Oil Spray… Cut calories and fat and use olive oil spray instead of a heavy drizzle of olive oil!
- Hidden Veggies… I add extra veggies in this recipe for ground turkey bolognese sauce. Just make sure to get red bell peppers, otherwise you’ll miss the “hidden” aspect.
- Turkey instead of Beef or Pork... I’m not not apposed to making bolognese with beef or pork. But turkey is not only healthier, it also boosts metabolism!
Shopping List for Skinny Instant Pot Spaghetti Bolognese:
- Olive oil spray
- Lean ground turkey
- Yellow onion
- Red bell pepper
- Garlic
- Italian seasoning
- Salt and pepper
- Crushed tomatoes
- Tomato sauce
- Tomato paste
- Measurements below in the recipe card
Healthy Tips and Swaps
This turkey bolognese is healthy and delicious! You can easily modify it to work with your dietary restrictions too!
Low Carb Bolognese Sauce
The carbs and protein are very well balanced in this recipe, but if you care more about low carb than low calorie and hidden veggies, remove the bell pepper and add in an addition 1/2 pound of Turkey. This will both lower the carbs and boost the protein. Also, serve this low carb bolognese over protein pasta (I like Banza Pasta) or my Low Calorie Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash.
Low Sodium Bolognese Sauce
The bulk of the sodium is in the tomato sauce and paste. I recommend cutting both by 1/2 and removing the salt from the recipe.
High Protein Bolognese Sauce
This recipe is already packed with protein, but you can always add more! Add in an additional 1/2 pound of ground turkey, and in the last step where you mix the pasta together, add in 2-4 scoops of unflavored collagen or protein powder.
Low Sugar Bolognese Sauce
To lower the sugar in the bolognese, you will want to remove some of the tomatoes, as those have the bulk of the sugar. I recommend removing 1/2 of the tomato sauce and paste from the recipe.
Gluten Free Bolognese Sauce
Bolognese is naturally gluten free (yippee)! Try serving it over Gluten Free Pasta or my Low Calorie Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash.
How to Make Healthy Turkey Bolognese in an Instant Pot
The dreaded “Burn Message” could be a problem in this recipe if you don’t follow the directions!
It is very important that you do not stir the sauce, this way the water is on the bottom and helps avoid the “burn reading.”
But if you do get one, read this article on How to Avoid (and correct) the Burn Message.
How to Make Low Calorie Instant Pot Meat Sauce:
- Preheat the Instant Pot on sauté (medium heat) and spray with olive oil.
- Add in the turkey, onion, and bell pepper. Sauté for 5-8 minutes, crumbling and mixing often, until the turkey is lightly browned.
- Add in 1/4 cup of the water and scrape the bottom of the instant pot well (deglaze it) so that you won’t get a “burn reading” later.
- Add in the remaining water, then the remaining ingredients but DO NOT STIR!
- Cover and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.
- Allow to sit and naturally release pressure, after 10 minutes you can manually release the pressure. Or you can just let it to depressurize on it’s own.
- Mix well and serve over pasta, zoodles, or spaghetti squash.
Healthy Instant Pot Turkey Bolognese Sauce Recipe
This instant pot bolognese sauce is just 156 calories per 2/3 cup, and that’s a LOT to add to the top of pasta! I know you’ll love this recipe!!
More Low Calorie Recipes:
Low Calorie Turkey Bolognese Sauce
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- Olive oil spray
- 1 pound lean ground turkey
- 1 large yellow onion minced
- 1 red bell pepper minced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup water
- 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 1 15-ounce can tomato sauce
- 1 6-ounce can tomato paste
Instructions
- Preheat the Instant Pot on sauté (medium heat) and spray with olive oil.
- Add in the turkey, onion, and bell pepper. Sauté for 5-8 minutes, crumbling and mixing often, until the turkey is lightly browned.
- Add in 1/4 cup of the water and scrape the bottom of the instant pot well (deglaze it) so that you won’t get a “burn reading” later.
- Add in the remaining water, then the remaining ingredients but DO NOT STIR!
- Cover and cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.
- Allow to sit and naturally release pressure, after 10 minutes you can manually release the pressure. Or you can just let it to depressurize on it’s own.
- Mix well and serve over pasta, zoodles, or spaghetti squash.
Nutrition
Nutrition and Calories in Bolognese Sauce
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Article History:
- Originally written and published September 30, 2021 by Audrey Johns
- Updated on September 21, 2023 by Audrey Johns
