A fall themed bolognese sauce with pumpkin puree and chunks of pumpkin!
Bolognese sauce is an Italian style meat sauce that’s just packed with flavor! This recipe is a fall themed take on it with pumpkin puree and diced pumpkin. Normally a bolognese sauce would be made with beef and/or pork and it would be slowly braised but this is a quick and easy version that uses turkey. In addition to the turkey, this sauce contains plenty of veggies including onions, carrots, celery, bell pepper, and tomatoes in addition to the pumpkin. I like to add mushrooms, which remind me of fall, and use herbs such as sage, and/or rosemary and thyme. It takes less than an hour to make and it makes enough for leftovers for a quick reheated second meal!
Pumpkin Bolognese Tagliatelle
Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 35 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes Servings: 8
A fall themed bolognese sauce with pumpkin puree and chunks of pumpkin!
ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 1 pound ground turkey (or chicken, or beef, or pork, or Italian sausage, or Italian sausage)
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 cup carrot, diced
- 1 cup celery, diced
- 1 cup bell pepper, diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, chopped
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon sage, shopped
- 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste (optional)
- 4 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 (15 ounce) can tomatoes, crushed (or marinara sauce (link))
- 1 cup pumpkin puree (link)
- 2 cups pumpkin (or butternut squash, diced) (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon italian seasoning (link) (or oregano)
- 1/4 cup parmigiano reggiano (parmesan cheese), grated
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 pound pasta (gluten-free for gluten-free)
directions
- Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the turkey, onion, carrot, celery, and mushrooms and cook, breaking the turkey apart as it cooks, about 15 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste, garlic, sage, and chili pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
- Add the broth, tomatoes, pumpkin puree, pumpkin, cinnamon, balsamic vinegar, and italian seasoning, mix, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the pumpkin is tender, about 15-20 minutes.
- Turn off the heat, add the parmesan, mix and let it melt into the sauce.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- While the sauce is simmering, cook the pasta as directed and mix together after draining.
Note: You can cook the turkey first and set it aside before cooking the veggies and adding the turkey back in along with the tomatoes.
Option: Add 1/4 pound pancetta (or bacon), diced, cooked in the beginning and set aside before adding for the simmering.
Option: Add 1 teaspoon (smoked) paprika, along with the garlic.
Option: Add 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped.
Option: Add 1 tablespoon fish sauce, at the end.
Option: Add 1/4 cup heavy cream or milk or ricotta, etc., along with the parmesan.
Option: Add 1/4 pound pancetta (or bacon), diced, cooked in the beginning and set aside before adding for the simmering.
Option: Add 1 teaspoon (smoked) paprika, along with the garlic.
Option: Add 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, chopped.
Option: Add 1 tablespoon fish sauce, at the end.
Option: Add 1/4 cup heavy cream or milk or ricotta, etc., along with the parmesan.
Nutrition Facts: Calories 428, Fat 9g (Saturated 2g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 44mg, Sodium 487mg, Carbs 61g (Fiber 6g, Sugars 11g), Protein 24g
Nutrition by: 
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Kevin, this dish checked all the boxes for me! I was really filling and delicious. I chose to use hot Italian sausage and added the optional butternut squash cubes. I used one 24 oz. can of Hunts Garlic and Herb flavor marinara to replace the can of tomatoes, used only 1/2 cup broth and added 1/2 cup white wine. Everything else exactly as written. I stocked up on canned pumpkin when on sale recently, and will absolutely be making this dish again and again. Oh, I found that using rigatoni pasta allowed the tubes to fill up with the sauce! Yum! Thanks for such a lovely recipe.