Low Sodium Bolognese Sauce Recipe (No Salt Added)
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If you’re looking for a hearty, flavorful pasta sauce with no added salt, this easy Bolognese sauce is absolutely perfect for your table! Bolognese sauce is an Italian meat ragu sauce, which originates from Bologna, Italy – and don’t worry, there is no sliced bologna in it. It’s traditionally made with ground pork or beef, although for my version I used lean ground turkey breast to make it lower in saturated fat & DASH-diet friendly.
You can use any 0 sodium pasta you like for this dish – it’s great with a thick pasta like fettucine or tagliatelle. It’s loaded with vegetables and slow simmered on the stove for an hour, making it a great hands-off dish that you can cook for company.
This Low Sodium Bolognese Sauce Is:
- Rich
- Bright
- Garlicky
- Made without Salt
- Easy to batch cook and freeze for later
- Great for company
Low Sodium Pasta Recipes
Pastas and noodles are one of our staples on a low sodium diet – most have 0mg sodium. However, it can be tough to find a store-bought sauce, so I love using bright fresh flavors to make my own.
This low sodium Bolognese sauce is perfect for a tasty meal for the family, and also great to make for company if you are having guests for dinner. This low sodium tomato sauce is simmered for about an hour, so you can enjoy hands-off time to prep sides or a salad.
Browse all our low sodium pasta and sauce recipes here for your next favorite.
What’s In This Salt Free Bolognese Meat Sauce?
- Ground turkey – I used a lean ground turkey for this recipe, but you can use ground beef or pork if desired. I like using lean white meat to keep the saturated fat down to keep the recipe DASH-diet friendly.
- Garlic
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: I like to use a fruity olive oil which has a fantastic flavor and deep color- it’s inexpensive so I keep a few liters stocked up in my pantry. Olive oil gives this dish a great taste, and also can contain heart-healthy properties!
- No Salt Added Diced Tomatoes: I only use no salt added diced tomatoes, these boxed tomatoes are really great to stock up on! I like boxed tomatoes better because they have no added salt, are BPA free and more eco-friendly than aluminum cans.
- Carrots
- Fresh Basil
- Half & Half – or light cream, to give this recipe a little richness at the end!
Can you Freeze This Low Salt Bolognese Recipe?
Absolutely! This Bolognese freezes well – so if you have a lot leftover, you can freeze in a gallon bag or in mason jars for later. This recipe got a major 10/10 from both my husband and I! It was absolutely delicious with a thick tagliatelle pasta.
It makes a huge batch of sauce, so you can enjoy it for many meals. Its great to batch cook, meal prep, and make ahead.
How do I Make this Low Sodium Bolognese?
- In a Dutch oven or large pot, begin by browning the turkey on low heat. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until turkey is cooked all the way through. Remove from heat and transfer cooked turkey to a bowl.
- In the same Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and sauté on low from 5 or 6 minutes until the veggies begin to soften.
- Add the carrots, no-salt-added diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and vegetable stock. Add the cooked ground turkey back to Dutch oven and reduce on low heat for 45 minutes until sauce begins to thicken.
- Finish off the sauce with the half & half and fresh basil, and stir.
- Garnish with extra fresh basil and black pepper, and enjoy!
Make Ahead Low Salt Sauces
This low sodium Bolognese sauce is a fantastic and simple recipe to make ahead. These are great for entertaining, as you can prep steps 1-3 ahead of time, and complete steps 4 & 5 right before dinner.
You can also scale this recipe to feed a crowd, and batch cook a few of these at a time if you’re prepping for a larger gathering. Check out all our low sodium make-ahead meals for some inspiration to help you prep, keep, heat, and eat!
More Low Sodium Pasta Sauce Recipes You’ll Love
Low Sodium Goat Cheese Pasta Recipe
Easy Low Sodium Baked Ziti Pasta Recipe
Low Sodium Pasta Salad Recipe (No Salt Added)
Share This Unsalted Bolognese Recipe
As always, if you make this low sodium Bolognese meat sauce recipe be sure to leave me a comment, rate this recipe, and tag us on Instagram or Facebook. And please feel free to share with your Facebook groups or friends!
Let’s keep in touch – don’t forget to follow over on Instagram, Facebook, & my Youtube channel for more amazing low sodium recipes – I’d love to connect with you there!
Low Sodium Bolognese Sauce
Equipment
- Large Pot or Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs lean ground turkey or substitute ground beef or pork if desired
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 sweet onion diced
- 3 carrots chopped
- 32 ounces no-salt-added diced tomatoes
- 6 ounces no-salt-added tomato paste
- 2 cups no-salt-added vegetable stock
- ¾ cup half & half
- 1 cup fresh basil chopped, plus more if desired
Instructions
- In a Dutch oven or large pot, begin by browning the turkey on low heat. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes until turkey is cooked all the way through. Remove from heat and transfer cooked turkey to a bowl.
- In the same Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over low heat. Add the garlic and onion, and sauté on low from 5 or 6 minutes until the veggies begin to soften.
- Add the carrots, no-salt-added diced tomatoes, tomato paste, and vegetable stock. Add the cooked ground turkey back to Dutch oven and reduce on low heat for 45 minutes until sauce begins to thicken.
- Finish off the sauce with the half & half and fresh basil, and stir.
- Garnish with extra fresh basil and black pepper, and enjoy!
Nutrition
*Please note, all nutrition content is estimated based on the ingredients we used, it may vary based on your ingredients. Always check your nutrition labels to verify sodium amounts.
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Love this pasta sauce. So flavorful. So good