Slow Cooker Turkey Bolognese

This slow cooker turkey bolognese sauce is rich, hearty, and so full of flavor. This turkey bolognese recipe is the perfect dish to use up your leftover turkey, or make it with ground turkey as a healthier alternative to beef! However you make it, when served over a bed of perfectly cooked pasta, you've got a recipe for a recipe that makes everyone happy. 

Italian food - especially all their sauces - is something that always seems to hit the spot. There's something about a rich tomato base filled with ingredients from simple to complex that always delights the palette and makes you feel all warm inside.

That's why I tend to make it so often. I have very eclectic tastes, so I make a wide variety of meals from tacos to smoked meats and everything in between. One of my main go-tos tends to be pasta sauce, however. I make it quite a bit.

It's the perfect way to cook for an army - or in my case two very hungry men - and it's generally very easy to make. 

This slow cooker turkey bolognese recipe is a perfect example of that. With just a few simple ingredients, I can have a delicious meal on the table that is easy, delicious, and full of all the rustic flavors that we all love about Italian food.

It's an excellent recipe that's always a big hit, which is why I can't wait to share it with all of you today. 

Bolognese Sauce vs Spaghetti Sauce

At first glance, bolognese and spaghetti sauce could almost be mistaken for the same thing. They're both made with a tomato sauce base, and they're both loaded with Italian flavors, but they are a bit different.

Before we get into making this delicious slow cooker turkey bolognese recipe, let's take a look at the difference between the two sauces. 

Spaghetti Sauce

Spaghetti sauce is generally made in such a way that it is somewhat smooth. You might find some chunks of tomato in it, but in general, the sauce is smooth and it uses browned ground beef or sausage.

From there, it's cooked down into a rich, smooth consistency - the kind that we've all poured over our noodles for years. It's a generally simple recipe that can be as biting or as sweet as the cook likes. An interesting note is that while some people swear that adding sugar to spaghetti sauce is a cardinal sin, the act of adding sugar to balance the acid in spaghetti sauce actually originated in Italy, so don't let anyone tell you not to add sugar!

Bolognese Sauce

Unlike spaghetti sauce, bolognese sauce tends to be quite chunky. Rather than a spaghetti sauce, bolognese is actually a type of ragu, the Italian word for meat sauce. Bolognese generally has chunks of various vegetables along with meat.

This alone can almost immediately distinguish a bolognese sauce from a spaghetti sauce. In addition, bolognese sauce is generally made creamier with the addition of milk or cream, although it doesn't have to contain either.

This turkey bolognese recipe doesn't have either one. 

History of Bolognese Sauce

Did you know that the first bolognese sauce had no tomato in it at all? It's true. This is just one fun fact related to the history of bolognese sauce. Because I love food history as much as food, I'm going to take you on a little stroll back into history.

Let's talk about the history of bolognese sauce. 

Bolognese sauce is actually related to French ragout that became popular in the 18th century. No one knows for sure exactly when bolognese sauce was invented, but the earliest known mention of it is in a recipe for a ragu characterized as bolognese in an 1891 recipe by Pellegrino Artusi.

The recipe called for lean veal with pancetta, butter, onion, and carrots. All were to be finely minced and cooked with butter until the meat browned. Then, it was to be covered and cooked with broth. No tomatoes or tomato sauce were a part of the recipe. 

Over the 100+ years since Artusi first published his recipe, bolognese sauce has undergone a variety of changes, most notably the addition of tomato sauce or puree to the sauce. Wine and milk are both common ingredients in many contemporary bolognese recipes.

These days, bolognese sauce can be as simple or as complex as the cook desires, with only a few ingredients or everything but the kitchen sink. 

Slow Cooker Turkey Bolognese Sauce

This delicious slow cooker turkey bolognese recipe is so good, so hearty, and so easy to make. This chunky sauce is perfect for leftover turkey or other meat, and it's such a fantastic meal on a fall or winter day.

It has everything going for it, including its ease. Serve it up over your favorite pasta, and you've got yourself a hearty, healthy meal that satisfies everyone. It uses only a few simple ingredients to create a wonderfully deep flavor which is created by slow cooking it for hours. 

Ingredients

It only takes a few simple, classic ingredients to make this delicious slow cooker turkey bolognese recipe. You'll find classic rustic vegetables like bell pepper, celery, carrots, onions, and mushrooms, along with turkey in this recipe.

You most likely have most of the ingredients in your kitchen or refrigerator already if you do any amount of cooking at all. Here's what you'll need. 

• 2lb Leftover Turkey (or ground turkey)
• 1 (29oz) can Diced Tomatoes
• 1 (32oz) container of Tomato Sauce
• 1 Large Onion, chopped
• 1 Large Green Bell Pepper, chopped
• 2 Sticks Celery chopped
• 2 Carrots, peeled and finely grated
• 3 Large Bay Leaves
• 1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
• 16oz Mushrooms, sliced
• Salt and Pepper to taste

See? There's nothing to it! Even if you don't have all the ingredients, you can find them easily at any grocery store, so it's no problem at all to gather up everything you need. This turkey bolognese sauce is all about flavor, not fancy ingredients. 

Making Slow Cooker Turkey Bolognese Sauce

Making this sauce is just as easy as shopping for it. It only takes a few minutes of prep work and several hours in the slow cooker to create this delicious dish. In fact, the hardest part about this recipe is simply waiting for your slow cooker to finish doing its thing!

It's such a quick and easy recipe, you'll be amazed at how fast you'll be in and out of the kitchen. Here's what you'll do. 

• Chop all vegetables, and turkey into small chunks.
• Add carrots to a food processor and chop until it’s almost liquid.
• Add the tomatoes, vegetables, bay leaves, and Italian seasoning to the slow cooker.
• Cook on low for 6-8 hours or high for 4-6 hours.
• In the final hour of cooking add the turkey and the mushrooms. Stir to combine and cook a further hour.
• Serve over spaghetti (or your favorite pasta), with parmesan cheese, adding salt and pepper to taste.

See? It doesn't get much easier than that. In just a few minutes, you'll be on your way to a delicious bolognese sauce that is unbelievably good!

Variations

The great thing about bolognese sauce is how versatile it is. This chunky sauce can be made with almost any ingredients you can think of. It's a great recipe to tinker with and see what you can create. 

Different Meat

The original bolognese sauce was made with veal. This recipe is made with turkey. What that says is that you can use absolutely any meat you'd like in this sauce. It's a perfect leftover buster because you can add any of your leftover meats to it. Some great ideas include:

• Turkey
• Chicken 
• Beef
• Pork
• Ground Turkey
• Ground Chicken
• Ground Beef
• Italian Sausage

Different Vegetables

I would recommend that you always use the trinity of onion, bell pepper, and celery in this recipe, but after that, add whatever you want. I added mushrooms because I love them, but you can add any kind of vegetable that you desire. They'll all work in this recipe!

Different Noodles

I like to serve this slow cooker turkey bolognese sauce over spaghetti noodles, but you can use any noodle you like. Try different shapes and different kinds of noodles. Whole wheat noodles have a nice texture to them that works really well with this recipe.

Noodles like penne, macaroni, and other short, hollow noodles work well because they hold the sauce inside them. Get creative and try whatever strikes your fancy. 

Serving Slow Cooker Turkey Bolognese 

This delicious slow cooker turkey bolognese recipe is a complete meal in and of itself, so all you need to do is spoon it over noodles, and you're ready to go! This is the perfect dish to prep the night before and then throw into the slow cooker in the morning for a family dinner.

It's also an excellent addition to potlucks when paired with fun noodles. It's an exceptionally great choice for fall and winter days when the weather is cold because it warms you up.

However you serve it, I recommend finishing it off with some grated parmesan to complete the flavor profile. Then, just eat!

Storing Slow Cooker Turkey Bolognese Sauce

This sauce will keep well in the refrigerator in an air-tight container for up to four days. For longer storage, you can freeze this sauce in an air-tight, freezer-safe container or heavy-duty freezer bags for up to three months.

To thaw it out, simply place the frozen sauce in a pot over medium-low heat until it's heated through. 

You'll Love This Slow Cooker Turkey Bolognese Recipe

With delicious chunks of hearty vegetables and turkey, this slow cooker turkey bolognese sauce is a real winner. Use it to get rid of leftovers while making a delicious dish that the entire family loves. Because it's so versatile, you can make it with an almost endless variety of ingredients, making it one simple dish that can actually become so many more. 

This dish is rich, hearty, and so delicious. I highly recommend you give it a try. It's so simple and so delicious, you'll be thanking your lucky stars you found it here. Give it a try, and I know you'll love it as much as I do. 

Slow Cooker Turkey Bolognese Video