Slow Cooker Turkey Bolognese & Zucchini Noodles
on Sep 06, 2016, Updated Nov 15, 2020
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Slow Cooker lovers rejoice!! A couple of weeks ago I asked on Instagram stories what kind of recipes you guys wanted to see on the blog. When a few people responded asking for slow cooker recipes I got inspired! The usual slow cooker recipes I see are large roasts or pork butt, or things you would really only make one in awhile or for special occasions. I have already posted on here about my favorite Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken, but I wanted to make something else that would be healthy, simple and require very few ingredients. This of course brought me to my love for ground turkey.
If you follow me on instagram you know that I have turkey a lot during the week. Mostly in meatball form but often in turkey bolognese form! So why not try it in a slow cooker? It is only an added bonus that all tomato sauces taste better when simmered for hours on end! Oh and pro tip: get the organic marinara sauce from Costco! It is kirkland brand and has super clean ingredients – just tomatoes and some spices! Another tip: you can totally spiralize your zucchini noodles ahead of time. When you get home from the store with all of your zucchini, sprialize them all and place them on papers towels in a large ziploc bag. Then recipes like this or my Zucchini Pad Thai are that much easier to whip together!
Once the sauce cooks, the zoodles go in for the last 30 minutes.
Voila – perfection with little to no effort.
GRAB A FORK WHY DON’T YA!
We all need more slow cooker recipes, here are a few more:
Slow Cooker Salsa Chicken with Sweet Potato Rice
Instant Pot Garlic Rosemary Cauliflower Potato Mash
Pin it!!
Slow Cooker Turkey Bolognese & Zucchini Noodles
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground turkey
- 1 large jar of marinara sauce (3 ½ cups)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3 large zucchinis
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add turkey and marinara to a slow cooker and break up turkey into smaller pieces with a wooden spoon or spatula. Stir in garlic powder & oregano and set the slow cooker on low for 3 hours.
- Use a spiralizer to cut your zucchini into noodles and pat them dry with paper towels. Once the 3 hours are up, add the zucchini noodles to the slow cooker and toss with the sauce. Leave on low for 30 more minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste and enjoy!
Hello! Is it 1lb ground turkey? Do you add it to the crockpot with the sauce raw?
Thank you!
Yes it is and yes you do!!
How many servings is this?
Hi Liz, this is 4 servings!
I love how simple this is! I definitely rely on my slow cooker for a lot of my weekly meals, looks delicious.
Thanks Danielle!! Love my slow cooker too!!
Can you cook ground beef the same way in the slower cooker -would you adjust cooking time or temp?
You can cook it the same amount of time!! 🙂
Does the zucchini get really soggy or water down the turkey with leaving the zucchini in so long?
The zucchini just goes in for the last 30 minutes! That is the perfect amount of time for them to not get too soggy and still have some crunch!
Does this reheat well? If not, would you sauté the zucchini noodles separately for each serving then mix with the meat sauce? Thanks!
I wouldn’t reheat the noodles but yes you can definitely reheat the bolognese mixture! Sautéing the zoodles separately is a perfect idea!
I know this seems simple but if you double the recipe do you double the cook time or just turn up the heat?
You could probably actually keep the same exact time and heat for it!!
Any alternative for using spiraliser? I dont have one but this recipe looks good!
You could use a julienne peeler!! I have this spiralizer if you need one: bit.ly/lboinspiralizer
Can I leave the sauce in for 8 hours? My work schedule is a bit longer than that and I’m worried about it being on warm for that long.
Yes that should be fine!
I just saw this recipe and I was wondering if you can use frozen zoodles instead of making your own spiral noodles?
Yes, that should work great!