Turkey Meat Sauce
Updated Feb 12, 2026
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This hearty turkey meat sauce is the ultimate big batch recipe: rich, flavorful, freezer-friendly, ready to toss with pasta, layer into lasagna, or stash away for quick weeknight dinners. If you don’t tell your family it’s not made with beef, they won’t know!
This sauce tastes rich, savory, and worth choosing over beef. It’s a deeply flavorful sauce made with ground turkey and turkey sausage, simmered in canned tomatoes, sautéed onions and garlic, and the perfect balance of herbs and spices. It’s perfect for tossing with pasta, layering into lasagna, or freezing in portions so Future You will be thrilled to have dinner halfway done.
I swear by this recipe, and always have a couple of containers in the freezer, which have saved dinner many a time! While it doesn’t have dairy in it, it is very thick, not at all watery, and very moist, not at all dry. It’s more like a turkey bolognese or ragu in texture, because it’s very meaty. Serve pasta with Turkey Meat Sauce alongside Roasted Honey Mustard Brussels Sprouts, Kale Crunch Salad, or Air Fryer Green Beans.
What's In This Post?
Turkey Meat Sauce recipe: This sauce is amazing with any shape pasta, and also perfect for making lasagnas. Super freezer-friendly!
By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy.
Big Batch Turkey Meat Sauce
This recipe makes a very generous amount of sauce, designed to use some for dinner tonight, some later in the week, and some to freeze for another time. Of course, you can cut this recipe in half. But ground turkey and turkey sausage are usually sold in one-pound packages, so if you buy one of each of the recommended varieties (sweet sausage, hot sausage, and ground turkey), you will end up with a lot of meat sauce, which, in my book and my house, is never a bad thing.
Here’s what I like to do: 1) Make one pound of pasta and serve several cups of the sauce with that the night I make it; 2) The next day, make a turkey lasagna with several more cups of the meat sauce and bake that for later in the week; 3) Freeze the rest of the sauce in two or three containers, so that pasta with homemade meat sauce is an option any night I’m in a pinch, and another lasagna is halfway there.
Ingredients
- Olive oil – Adds moistness.
- Ground turkey – Don’t buy ultra-lean; go for 85/15% ground turkey if possible. More fat, more flavor.
- Hot turkey and sweet turkey sausage – Offers a nice balance of spicy, sweet, and flavorful. For a spicier turkey meat sauce, use all spicy Italian sausage.
- Onions, shallots, and garlic – Essential elements of any good meat sauce!
- Dried oregano and basil – For sweet, earthy, and peppery flavors.
- Red or white wine – Either a dry white or a dry red will amplify the flavors of the sauce. The alcohol will cook off from the heat.
- Crushed tomatoes – I like crushed tomatoes in puree vs. in juice, which creates a thicker sauce.
- Red pepper flakes – Optional, for a nice spicy kick.
- Penne, rigatoni, or ziti rigate – Any pasta will work; read the note below.
How to Make Turkey Meat Sauce
- Sauté the turkey: In a large saucepot with oil, brown ground turkey and the turkey sausages together for about 4-6 minutes. Drain.
- Finish making the sauce: Sauté the onion and shallots. Add the garlic, oregano, and basil, followed by the wine. Add the canned tomatoes, red pepper flakes, and cooked turkey, and simmer for about 20 minutes.
- Cook the pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a tablespoon of coarse salt, and return the water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions.
- Serve: Toss the drained pasta with as much sauce as desired.
Turkey Meat Sauce Problems and Solutions
Turkey meat sauce is usually dry because the turkey is too lean or overcooked. Use 90–93% lean ground turkey, add a little olive oil to the pan, and avoid cooking the meat too long before adding the sauce.
Turkey meat sauce tastes bland when flavor isn’t layered early. Turkey needs aromatics, proper seasoning, and at least one savory booster—such as tomato paste, wine, anchovy, soy sauce, or a Parmesan rind—to develop depth.
Turkey meat sauce becomes watery when the moisture released by the turkey isn’t cooked off before adding tomatoes. Let the liquid evaporate, then simmer the sauce uncovered until it thickens and clings to the pasta.
Make Ahead and Storage
The sauce will last for up to 4 days in the refrigerator and 6 months well-sealed in the freezer. Money in the bank, am I right?
What to Serve With Turkey Meat Sauce and Pasta
Turkey Meat Sauce FAQs
To keep turkey meat sauce moist, start with ground turkey that contains some fat, season it early, and let the sauce simmer gently rather than boil. Finishing with olive oil, butter, or grated cheese helps keep the sauce rich and cohesive.
Absolutely. This sauce freezes beautifully. Let it cool completely, then portion it into airtight containers or freezer bags. It will keep well for up to 6 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat gently on the stove.
Stored in a sealed container, turkey meat sauce will keep in the refrigerator for about 5 days. It often tastes even better the next day after the flavors have a chance to meld.
Spaghetti is always popular, but you can pick from a variety of pasta shapes, from chunky shapes like penne, ziti, rigatoni, orecchiette, or cavatappi to long strands like linguine or bucatini. Very thin pasta like angel hair might get a bit overwhelmed by the thick meaty sauce, as would tiny shapes like orzo or ditalini. It’s also terrific layered into baked pastas or lasagna.
Yes, you can skip the turkey sausage and just use ground turkey. The sausage adds extra flavor and richness, but the sauce will still be hearty and delicious with ground turkey alone, though you may want to add about 50% more of the herbs, spices, and garlic.
To keep turkey meat sauce moist, start with ground turkey that contains some fat, season it early, and let the sauce simmer gently rather than boil. Finishing with olive oil, butter, or grated cheese helps keep the sauce rich and cohesive.
Pin this now to find it later
Pin It
The Best Turkey Meat Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
- 1 pound ground turkey (don’t buy the ultra lean)
- 1 pound fresh hot turkey sausage (squeezed from the casing)
- 1 pound fresh sweet turkey sausage (squeezed from casing)
- 1 ½ cups chopped onion
- 3 shallots (finely chopped)
- 1 tablespoon finely minced garlic
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- Big glug or two of red or white wine (if you have a bottle open)
- 4 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes (preferably in puree)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 pound penne, rigatoni, or ziti rigate (optional; rigate means ridged, and those ridges help catch the sauce in the pasta)
Instructions
- In a large saucepot, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add both the ground turkey and the turkey sausages together and cook, stirring frequently and breaking up the meat so that it’s very crumbly and browned throughout, about 4 to 6 minutes. Turn it into a strainer and let the fat drain off.
- Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the same pot over medium heat (don’t clean it! All those little bits of flavor from the meat will season the sauce). Add the onion and shallots, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, oregano, and basil and cook, stirring for 2 more minutes, until you can smell the garlic and herbs. Add the wine, if using, and stir for one more minute, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom, until the wine pretty much evaporates.
- Add the canned tomatoes and red pepper flakes, if using, and stir to combine everything. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Add the cooked turkey and sausage, lower the heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. Taste and season gently with the salt and pepper (the sausages provide a whole lot of seasoning).
- Meanwhile, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add a tablespoon of coarse salt, and return the water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package directions. Drain, and toss with as much sauce as desired.
I also make this with a combo of ground beef and Italian sausage. Quarts live in my freezer and save me weekly from schedule colliding crazy nights.
Out standing !
I used ground beef with hot and sweet sausage.
2 teaspoons oregano
1 tablespoon basil
Pino Grigio 1cup or so
2 teaspoons sugar at the end!