Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Bolognese

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Bolognese is a delicious and healthy low-carb, gluten-free meal. The slow cooker turkey bolognese is the best!

Turkey Bolognese

Turkey Bolognese is perfect for autumn or any time of the year! Since it is the fall season, I wanted to use seasonal ingredients and flavors to spice up my traditional spaghetti bolognese. Spaghetti squash, turkey and sage are some of my favorite fall ingredients. The bolognese sauce is cooked slowly, in a slow cooker, so that the sauce reduces and the flavors meld together into a rich, complex and fragrant Bolognese.

I must tell you that I love spaghetti with meat sauce! It is definitely one of my favorite meals. I love it so much that I eat gluttonous amounts of it! For that reason alone, it is very beneficial for me to try and make it as healthy as possible. Using spaghetti squash instead of pasta is a healthier, low carb option and using ground turkey instead of ground beef cuts out a lot of fat. This recipe is so much better for you than traditional spaghetti bolognese. Now I do not have to feel quite as guilty eating copious amounts of it!

Really craving some PASTA? I understand, sometimes I just want some real pasta too. You can easily replace the spaghetti squash with regular spaghetti if you don’t like spaghetti squash or if you just don’t have the time. The Turkey Sage Bolognese will taste great either way! If you would prefer a vegetarian meal, you can substitute the bolognese with my Low Carb Marinara Sauce .

The printable recipe is located at the end of this post. If you like this recipe, you might also want to try my Baked Spaghetti Squash Boats with Spinach Alfredo. 

Turkey Recipes
More turkey recipes to try!

• Seasoned Ground Turkey Taco Meat
• Crustless Quiche with Turkey Sausage
• Creamy Turkey Pasta and Peas
• Crockpot Turkey Chili
• Roasted Turkey Breast with Cranberry Stuffing
• Glazed Turkey Meatloaf
• Turkey Sausage Gravy
• Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

Spaghetti Squash with Turkey Bolognese Ingredients

• spaghetti squash – I used 1 very large spaghetti squash. You might want to use 2 spaghetti squash, depending on the size and the ratio of sauce to squash that you would like.
• lean ground turkey – I use 93% lean organic turkey.
• onion – half of a small onion finely chopped.
• extra virgin olive oil
• minced garlic – fresh or jarred garlic.
• ground sage
• basil
• cinnamon
• cayenne pepper
• salt and pepper to taste 
• crushed tomatoes 
• tomato paste
• chicken broth
• unsalted butter
• freshly shredded or grated parmesan cheese for garnish

How to make Turkey Bolognese in a Slow Cooker

First, spray your slow cooker with non-stick cooking spray. This way it is ready to go when it is time to start adding the ingredients. In a large sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and then sauté the onions for about 2 minutes. Add the ground turkey to the onions in the pan. Add the sage, basil, cinnamon, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to the pan. Break up the turkey and brown for about 8 minutes, or until no longer pink. Add the minced garlic and tomato paste and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Then use 1/2 cup of the chicken broth to deglaze the pan.

Remove the pan from heat and spoon all contents of pan into the slow cooker. Add the crushed tomatoes, the rest of the chicken broth and sugar to the slow cooker. Cover  the slow cooker and cook on low for about 5 – 6 hours. The sauce will reduce and thicken over time. Stir the sauce occasionally to ensure it does not stick.

After the sauce has been cooking for about 4 – 5 hours, prepare and put the squash in the oven. The directions for the squash are below. Once the squash is in the oven, add the 2 tablespoons of butter to the slow cooker and stir until melted. Recover until the squash is ready to be served. If the sauce is already thick enough to your liking, just set the slow cooker to the “keep warm” setting.

How to cook Spaghetti Squash

I am going to show you how to cook spaghetti squash the best way, in my opinion. I have seen many methods for cooking spaghetti squash. My method is a little bit different. I find that sometimes the squash is a bit too wet for my liking. So I “sweat” the squash prior to putting it in the oven.

First, preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut off 1/2 inch off both ends. Then cut squash in half. Scoop out and discard seeds and pulp. Place the squash on a greased baking sheet.

This next part is optional but I highly recommend taking the time to do it. Squash contains a lot of water. So, we are going to salt the squash and allow it to “sweat” out some of that moisture so that the squash is not as wet when we serve it. Salt the squash liberally and allow it to sit for about 10 – 15 minutes to draw out the excess moisture. Wipe off the excess moisture and salt with a clean paper towel.

See how much moisture sweats out of the squash? It’s like a science experiment!

Place the squash on baking sheet in the oven and cook for 40 – 60 minutes depending on the size of the squash. I used a large squash and needed to cook it for a full 60 minutes. Once the squash is finished, carefully remove from the oven and allow to cool on pan until cool enough to handle. The squash should be easy to separate from it’s skin if the squash is fully cooked. With a fork, shred the squash into spaghetti like strands.

At this point, your kitchen is going to smell so good and I am guessing that you are going to be pretty hungry after all of your hard work. Go stir the sauce one more time and just breathe it in. Yum!

It is finished! Serve the spaghetti squash with the Turkey Sage Bolognese sauce and garnish it with freshly shredded parmesan cheese. Delicious! I hope you enjoy!

(This recipe was originally posted on October 13th, 2017 and has been updated with a new recipe card.)

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