Sometimes you just crave a big bowl of hearty Italian pasta and sauce. Since going keto, I find when I go without pasta for so long I pretty much could go months without that craving, but then BAM! It hits me like a lightning bolt. One of my favorite classic sauces is a Bolognese. We’ve redone it and paired it with some doctored up spaghetti squash for a hearty, comforting low carb meal that will be sure to please. Buon appetito!
Bolognese is a rich hearty meat-based sauce originating from…you guessed it Bologna, Italy. Most are made with beef and sometimes veal – I have found I like it best with Italian Sausage. We use Turkey Italian Sausage here to lighten how much red meat we eat (and we do love our red meat! RAWR)! They are all stewed with onions and carrots and sometimes celery. Even though carrots are not a low carb vegetable, we like the hint of sweetness they add to this dish so we chose to add only 4 small baby carrots. We also were a little heavy handed on the wine – the flavor it imparts to the sauce is unreal!
We watch a lot (no joke, A.LOT) of cooking shows and the one rule they tell everyone is season at every step. I used to just pair my sauce with just spaghetti squash as it is, however I have recently discovered that if you add salt, pepper, butter and some grated Parmesan to the shredded squash you are hit with a flavor bomb of awesomeness! It’s so good you could just be tempted to eat it on its own!
Keto/Low Carb Turkey Bolognese with Spaghetti Squash
Sauce:
1lb Turkey Italian Sausage
¼ White onion, diced
4 Baby carrots, diced
1tsp Fennel seeds
1tsp Chili flakes
2 Tbsp. Tomato paste
2 Garlic cloves, minced
1/3 c. Red wine
14oz can of Fire-roasted crushed tomatoes (like Muir Glen)
salt/pepper
Basil (optional)
Pecorino Romano, shredded (optional)
Spaghetti Squash:
1 small Spaghetti squash (1.5lbs)
2 pats of butter
2 Tbsp grated Parmesan
1 clove garlic
salt & pepper
Cut your spaghetti squash in half – remove the seeds. Place cut side down in a microwave safe bowl with a small amount of water. Loosely cover and microwave for 6-7 minutes depending on the size.
While that is cooking, heat a skillet on medium high heat, add in your oil of choice and brown up the Italian sausage, breaking up the pieces as you go. After the meat has browned, add in your onions and carrots turning the heat down to medium. Cook this for a few minutes until softened and stir in your fennel seeds, chili flakes, garlic and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute so it slightly toasts the seasonings and then add in your red wine. Cook another minute and add in your can of tomatoes, salt and pepper. Let this bubble then reduce to low simmering for a minute.
Once your squash is done, use a fork to scrap the flesh to make your spaghetti threads. Add in the butter, Parmesan, garlic, salt and pepper, stir to combine.
Spoon up a ¼ of the squash then top with sauce, torn basil and pecorino romano.
Serves: 4
Estimated Nutrition Stats: Calories – 431 | Carbs 12g | Net carbs – 11g | Fat 21g | Protein 53g | Fiber 1g.
NOTE: The nutrition stats I get are after putting the recipe in MyFitnessPal.com. I do the best I can with what I’ve input, but I cannot guarantee 100% accuracy.
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