This recipe for Crock-Pot Turkey Bolognese Sauce is full of deep Italian flavors and is healthy too. A fabulous zero point Weight Watchers recipe brimming with ground turkey and vegetables this thick and hearty pasta sauce is perfect for those on any diet!
Slow Cooker Turkey Bolognese Sauce
Since starting Weight Watchers in December of 2017 I have really been looking for ways to include extra lean ground turkey (99% fat free) in my diet to replace ground beef. The reason being, it has zero SmartPoints on the FreeStyle plan. Which means I can basically have as much as I want and I don’t have to count the points!
I also really like to make big batches of food and stash them away in my freezer so that I am able to just grab something that is zero to low points, heat it up and have something for dinner rather quickly instead of being lured into the temptation of fast food or ordering pizza on crazy busy nights.
This recipe forCrock-Pot Turkey Bolognese Sauce is great because it is zero points and it makes a big batch of sauce (18 cups) so that I can have it over pasta one night and throw the rest in freezer containers for later meals.
So far I have used this sauce over low carb pasta, zoodles (AKA zucchini noodles) and in my Crock-Pot Layered Lasagna Casserole. And I am planning on making up some spaghetti squashin my slow cooker soon and eating it that way too!
Give it a try and let me know what you serve this sauce with!
Equipment Needed For Crock-Pot Turkey Bolognese Sauce Recipe:
This recipe for Crock-Pot Turkey Bolognese Sauce is Weight Watchers Friendly on the new Personal Points plan. You can see the WW personal points for this recipe here on the Weight Watchers website. Click here for MORE of our Weight Watchers Recipes
Ground turkey is the star ingredient in this healthier version of the classic Italian ragu meat sauce. Let it simmer away all day in the slow cooker and then serve it over your favorite pasta, spaghetti squash or zoodles. There is plenty of sauce for dinner plus several containers to freeze for meals at a later time.
Prepare all of the vegetables (onion, carrots, celery, red bell pepper and garlic) and have them ready.
In a large non-stick skillet add the diced onions, carrots and celery and saute them over medium-high heat on the stove-top until the onion just starts to turn golden brown.
Add the diced red bell pepper and minced onion to the pan and cook for an additional 5 minutes or so.
Add the ground turkey to the pan and cook and crumble the turkey into small pieces but not too small. Cook until the turkey is no longer pink.
Dump the contents of the skillet into a 6 quart or larger slow cooker. Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine.
Cover and cook on LOW for 6 to 8 hours or until the carrots in the sauce are very tender.
Serve a portion of the sauce over your favorite pasta, spaghetti squash or zoodles and freeze the remaining sauce in freezer containers for up to 6 months.
Notes
This recipe yields approximately 18 cups of sauce with a serving size of 1 cup.
Start with a mixture of 1 tablespoon cornstarch whisked into 2 tablespoons of cold water. Stir that into the hot Bolognese sauce, adding more slurry if you want it thicker.
But to me, the biggest difference when compared to the tomato-heavy meat sauce I grew up with, is that Ragù Bolognese uses milk, white wine and notably less tomatoes. The milk tenderizes the meat and mellows out any tart, acidic notes. The flavor is soft, light and slightly sweet! That's the selling point.
The best tip for intensifying the flavour of your sauce is just to cook it slowly on a low heat for a long time. This reduces the sauce and intensifies the flavours – four hours is not uncommon for my bolognese.
Tossing in strips of basil, a sprig of thyme or some oregano can take your sauce to the next level. Although fresh herbs might pop a bit more, dried herbs and spices can work just as well. Sprinkling in some red pepper flakes, a pinch of parsley and a dash of salt and pepper can liven up your jarred pasta sauce.
A cornstarch slurry is a mixture of a cold liquid with cornstarch. It is used as a thickening agent, and is particularly common in Asian sauces. As a rule of thumb, dissolve 2 parts cold water and 1 part cornstarch. Add the slurry to your sauce as it simmers in the slow cooker.
One of the best ways to make use of tomato paste is to treat it as a natural thickening agent for tomato-based sauces, says Arturo. In addition to helping to alter the consistency of your sauce, this pantry staple will also help to further enhance the rich, savory flavors of tomato sauce.
This moist environment allows you to leave food to cook for hours without risking it drying out. But because there is no evaporation, the liquid isn't able to reduce and thicken naturally in a slow cooker, often resulting in watery sauces and loose gravies. The common solution? Using a thickener.
In traditional Italian bolognese recipes, celery is often included as one of the "soffrito" ingredients, along with onions and carrots, which are sautéed in olive oil as a base for the sauce. Celery adds a slightly sweet and earthy flavor to the sauce and can also help balance out the acidity of the tomatoes.
Classic bolognese is made with…MILK! There are a few qualities of a bolognese which make it easy to distinguish. It's acidic, it's tomatoey, it's rich, it's packed with minced meat and it's a deep red colour.
Milk is a magical ingredient when it comes to bolognese. First, the lactic acid and calcium in milk help to tenderize the meat. More than that, though, milk balances the wine and tomato, creates a creamier texture and adds richness (similar to how butter or yogurt add more richness and flavor to dishes).
If you are missing an umami note, it's possible you are missing a very common ingredient in bolognese - chicken livers. These give a meaty, almost sweet flavour. Soak them in water for a few minutes, then finely chop or pulse in a food processor. I use minced (ground) pork, beef and chicken livers.
The official ragù alla bolognese recipe, certified in 1982 by the Accademia Italiana della Cucina, does not include garlic or other herbs or seasonings. And many bolognese fans around the world may be surprised to learn that it also notably includes very little tomato paste.
Pungent fresh herbs like thyme, rosemary, sage, tarragon, and marjoram can liven up tomato sauce with their bold, distinctive flavors. Add 1 to 2 sprigs of one or more of them to your favorite sauce, cover, and simmer at least 5 minutes to allow them to infuse in the sauce. Remove the sprigs before serving.
And as an added bonus, both the plums and the vinegar have some great benefits for digestion, energy, and as an antibacterial boost. Umeboshi vinegar is a deep reddish purple. Perfect for adding both the depth of flavour and colour into our bolognese sauce!
Bolognese sauce, also known as ragù alla bolognese, is a classic Italian meat-based sauce that is typically made with milk or cream to add richness and depth of flavor. However, it is possible to make a delicious Bolognese sauce without using milk or cream.
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