Whole30 Turkey Bolognese – Slow Cooker & Instant Pot
Dairy Free | Entrees | Gluten Free | Instant Pot | Low Carb | Meal Prep Friendly | Recipes | Sauces | Slow Cooker | Turkey | Whole30
This Whole30 turkey bolognese has quickly become my family’s favorite way to enjoy spaghetti squash pasta. It is so easy to put together and it has so many layers of flavor. You can make it in the slow cooker or the Instant Pot!
Originally posted 11/2019; updated 2/2020; 10/2020
What You Need:
- Bacon
- Ground Turkey
- Portobello Mushrooms
- Onion
- Celery
- Carrots
- Garlic
- Balsamic Vinegar
- Crushed Tomatoes
- Tomato Sauce
- Parsley, Thyme, Oregano, Bay Leaves
- Salt & Pepper
- Original Nutpods or Coconut Cream
Let’s Make Turkey Bolognese:
- The first step is to cook the bacon – I like to cut mine up into bite sized pieces with kitchen shears to make it easier. This gets sautéed in the pan and then set aside. Then we use the rendered fat to cook the ground turkey (ground turkey is lean and needs a bit of fat)
- Next we cook the aromatics (veggie base of the sauce). The onion, carrots, celery, mushrooms and garlic are what add so much flavor and balance to the sauce. This mixture gets added into the slow cooker (or stays in the Instant Pot) and the remaining ingredients are added in.
- Once the sauce is done cooking, we remove the bay leaves and stir in the Nutpods or Coconut Cream (can also use heavy cream if not doing Whole30)
- We love to serve this over spaghetti squash for a healthy Paleo & Whole30 meal! Check out THIS POST about how to cook spaghetti squash in the Instant Pot!
How to Store Your Bolognese:
This delicious sauce can be stored in the fridge or freezer for easy meal prep. It will last in an airtight container in the fridge for up 5 days. If you want to freeze it – place the cooled sauce in an airtight container (leaving room at the top). Then you can store it in the freezer for up to size months. Just thaw it in the fridge when ready to use, then re-heat in a sauce pan on the stove top.
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Whole30 Turkey Bolognese
This Whole30 turkey bolognese has quickly become my family's favorite way to enjoy spaghetti squash pasta. It is so easy to put together and it has so many layers of flavor.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs Ground Turkey or ground meat of choice
- 2 slices Bacon
- 1 Tbls Ghee
- 1 pint Portabello Mushrooms diced
- 1/2 cup Yellow Onion diced
- 2 stalks Celery diced
- 2 Carrots peeled & diced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 2 Tbls Balsamic Vinegar
- 28 oz Can of Crushed San Marzano Tomatoes
- 14.5 oz Can of Tomato Sauce
- 1 tsp Dried Parsley
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- 2 Fresh Bay Leaves
- 1.5 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Pepper Flakes
- 3/4 cup Orginal Nutpods or coconut cream
Instructions
Slow Cooker
- Cut the bacon into pieces and saute in the skillet until cooked and set asideAdd in the ground turkey and cook until just cooked through and set aside
- Cook the onions, celery, carrots and mushrooms in the skillet with 1 Tbls of ghee for 3 minutes. Add in the garlic and balsamic vinegar and cook another 2 minutes. Turn off the heat
- Add the cooked ground turkey, bacon, and cooked veggies into the slow cooker along with all of the remaining ingredients. Set to low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours
- Once timer goes off, discard bay leavesStir in Orginal Nutpods (or coconut cream) taste and add salt & pepper as neededEnjoy immedieately or store in the fridge in an airtight container for 1 week or the freezer for up to 3 months
Instant Pot
- Add 1 Tbls of oil to the Instant Pot and turn to saute modeCut the bacon into pieces and saute until cooked through; remove with a slotted spoon
- Then add in the onion, celery, carrots, mushrooms and garlic. Saute for 3 minutesAdd in the ground turkey and stir in with veggies, saute until ground turkey is mostly cooked thoughStir the cooked bacon back in along with the remaining ingredients. Set to high pressure and cook for 20 minutes
- Once timer goes off, do a quick release of the steam and discard the bay leavesStir in Orginal Nutpods (or coconut cream) and taste, add salt & pepper as neededEnjoy immedieately or store in the fridge in an airtight container for 1 week or the freezer for up to 3 months
Nutrition
Calories: 213kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 25gFat: 7gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 55mgSodium: 973mgPotassium: 1032mgFiber: 4gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 3068IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 93mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @thebetteredblondie