Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce

Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce makes for a healthy and comforting meal. Made with lean turkey, fresh veggies, and rich pasta sauce. So easy to make and versatile. Serve in endless of ways and perfect for meal prep.

Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce

If you have been following this blog for a while, then you know how much I live by meal prep. I’ve been meal prepping for over a decade and it truly is a life saver. So I’m definitely a fan of recipes that are great for meal prep. Just like this Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce is.

This meat sauce is super healthy and makes for a comforting meal. Made with lean turkey, fresh veggies, and rich pasta sauce. So easy to make and versatile. Serve in many different ways and you will never get sick of this sauce. It will quickly become part of your meal rotation.

Ingredients needed to make Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce:

• Ground Turkey– Use any lean to fat ratio you prefer.
• Aromatics– Yellow onion and garlic.
• Veggies– Zucchini, mushrooms, and baby spinach.
• Pasta Sauce– Either homemade or store-bought.
• Spices and Herbs– Pink Sea Salt, Black Pepper, Italian Seasoning, Paprika
• Apple Cider Vinegar– Elevates flavor and neutralizes the turkey after taste.
• Olive Oil– For cooking.
• Chicken Broth– I like using low-sodium so that I can’t control the amount of salt in the sauce.

Equipment needed to make Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce:

• Large Pot– To cook your sauce in.
• Spatula– I prefer using silicone spatulas.

How to make Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce:

• Step 1– Thinly dice onion and mince garlic. Dice zucchini into small cubes and thinly dice mushrooms. Measure out 2 cups baby spinach and thinly shred. 
• Step 2– Place a large pot on stovetop and drizzle with olive oil. Bring oil to a heat on high. Toss in onion and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes until onion starts to translucent. Toss in zucchini and mushrooms and continue to sauté for 4-6 minutes until zucchini has started to soften and mushrooms have browned. 

• Step 3– Move veggies and aromatics to the side creating an open circle in the middle of the skillet. Use your hands to break ground turkey down and toss it in the open area of the skillet. Use spatula to continue to break ground turkey down even more as it browns. You want to make sure turkey is broken down into small pieces. Ground turkey tends to clump together so you will have to work it a bit to break it apart. 

• Step 4– Brown turkey for 7-8 minutes. As turkey is browning, sprinkle with spices and hers; pink sea salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and paprika. Drizzle apple cider vinegar over turkey. 

• Step 5– Pour in pasta sauce and give everything a good stir making sure it’s all well coated with sauce. Sprinkle in baby spinach and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes until spinach starts to wilt. Pour in chicken broth and once again give everything a good stir. 

• Step 6– Bring heat down to low and allow meat sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes until some of the liquid has reduced. Turn heat off and allow meat sauce to rest for a couple of minutes. More liquid will be reduced as sauce starts to cool-down. 
• Step 7– Serve turkey meat sauce over some pasta or spaghetti squash and sprinkle with some fresh grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Tips and Substitutions:

1. Use other types of ground meat- Ground beef and chicken are great for this recipe too.
2. Switch up your veggies- Carrots, kale, eggplant are all great veggies to add to this meat sauce too.
3. Use reserved pasta water instead of broth- If you are serving this meat sauce with pasta, reserve some of the water and use that instead of chicken broth. It add flavor and helps thicken the sauce too.

What to serve Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce with:

This meat sauce is so versatile and the possibilities to serve it are endless.

1. Keep it classic– Serve over spaghetti for a classic Italian dish.
2. Use other pastas– Fusilli pasta is my go-to!
3. Make it low-carb– Serve over Spaghetti squash noodles or zoodles.
4. Use other grains– You can also serve this sauce with rice, quinoa or any other preferred grain. Serve over cauliflower rice for another low-carb grain option.
5. Make it Vegan– Substitute ground turkey for mushrooms or vegan friendly ground “beef”

Meal Prepping it:

This Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce is one recipe you want to add to your meal prep rotation. It is so easy to make, versatile, and loaded with protein and veggies. The best thing about this meat sauce is that you won’t get sick of it. Serve it with pasta, rice, spaghetti squash noodles, or in any other way you prefer.

Storing and Reheating Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce:

Place your meat sauce in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 4-5 days. Reheat in microwave or by placing back on stovetop.

Freezing Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce:

Yes. This Veggie Loaded Meat Sauce can be frozen. Making it another reason why it’s great for meal prep. I would suggest to freeze in portions on 1-2 cups depending on how much you will be using at once. Thaw out in the fridge over night or run under cold water. Keep meat sauce in a freezer friendly container. Keep frozen for up to 3-4 months.

Did you like this Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce? You may also like these other recipes:

• Spaghetti Squash Boats (With Veggie Turkey Meat Sauce)
• Classic Spaghetti and Meatballs
• Baked Turkey Meatballs

Print

Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce

Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce makes for a healthy and comforting meal. Made with lean turkey, fresh veggies, and rich pasta sauce. So easy to make and versatile. Serve in endless of ways and perfect for meal prep. 

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Italian

Keyword turkey meat sauce, Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Servings 6 servings

Calories 253 kcal

Author Angelica Arias

Ingredients

• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 1 yellow onion
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 small zucchini
• 6 oz mushrooms
• 32 oz pasta sauce
• 1.5 tsp pink sea salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 cup baby spinach
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chicken broth (or 1 cup of reserved pasta water)

Instructions

1. Thinly dice onion and mince garlic. Dice zucchini into small cubes and thinly dice mushrooms. Measure out 2 cups baby spinach and thinly shred.

2. Place a large pot on stovetop and drizzle with olive oil. Bring oil to a heat on high. Toss in onion and garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes until onion starts to translucent. Toss in zucchini and mushrooms and continue to sauté for 4-6 minutes until zucchini has started to soften and mushrooms have browned.

3. Move veggies and aromatics to the side creating an open circle in the middle of the skillet. Use your hands to break ground turkey down and toss it in the open area of the skillet. Use spatula to continue to break ground turkey down even more as it browns. You want to make sure turkey is broken down into small pieces. Ground turkey tends to clump together so you will have to work it a bit to break it apart.

4. Brown turkey for 7-8 minutes. As turkey is browning, sprinkle with spices and hers; pink sea salt, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and paprika. Drizzle apple cider vinegar over turkey.

5. Pour in pasta sauce and give everything a good stir making sure it's all well coated with sauce. Sprinkle in baby spinach and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes until spinach starts to wilt. Pour in chicken broth and once again give everything a good stir.

6. Bring heat down to low and allow meat sauce to simmer for about 10 minutes until some of the liquid has reduced. Turn heat off and allow meat sauce to rest for a couple of minutes. More liquid will be reduced as sauce starts to cool-down.

7. Serve turkey meat sauce over some pasta or spaghetti squash and sprinkle with some fresh grated parmesan cheese. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

1. 1. Use the types of ground meat- Ground beef and chicken are great for this recipe too.Reser
   2. Switch up your veggies- Carrots, kale, eggplant are all great veggies to add to this meat sauce too.
   3. Use reserved pasta water instead of broth- If you are serving this meat sauce with pasta, reserve some of the water and use that instead of chicken broth. It add flavor and helps thicken the sauce too.

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Nutrition Facts

Veggie Loaded Turkey Meat Sauce

Amount per Serving

Calories

253

% Daily Value*

Fat

 

6

g

9

%

Saturated Fat

 

1

g

6

%

Trans Fat

 

0.02

g

Polyunsaturated Fat

 

1

g

Monounsaturated Fat

 

3

g

Cholesterol

 

84

mg

28

%

Sodium

 

1533

mg

67

%

Potassium

 

1150

mg

33

%

Carbohydrates

 

13

g

4

%

Fiber

 

4

g

17

%

Sugar

 

7

g

8

%

Protein

 

40

g

80

%

Vitamin A

 

1766

IU

35

%

Vitamin C

 

19

mg

23

%

Calcium

 

61

mg

6

%

Iron

 

4

mg

22

%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.

**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used. 

**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family.