Leftover Turkey Bolognese
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This leftover turkey bolognese is super easy to make and delicious recipe. If you're looking for something to do with all the leftover turkey from Thanksgiving, Christmas or Easter, look no further. This is your recipe!
This leftover turkey Bolognese is rockin' my world right now. It's everything a good Bolognese should be: hearty, rich,a and full of flavor. The only difference is that this is made in your crockpot with leftover turkey from your Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.
How awesome is that?!
I have to be honest; I didn't have high hopes for this turkey Bolognese. I usually prefer a vegetarian tomato sauce that's loaded with veggies and mushrooms. It must have been all the spaghetti I ate in the fourteen years I was a vegetarian. Meat in tomato sauce seems so strange to me.
But … I've been trying to think of ways we can all use our turkey dinner leftovers without having to resort to turkey sandwiches, again. Not that I don't love a turkey sandwich or two. But twelve? Something else has to be done with all that leftover turkey.
It took all of one bite before I was totally hooked. Turkey Bolognese is where it's at.
Did you notice that giant plate of pasta the turkey bolognese is sitting on? Ya, that. That was one of the two times a year I pull out my pasta maker (love love love that thing!) and eat real pasta. Normally I'm all zucchini spaghetti and carrot noodle crazy, but this time, I went for the real deal.
I kneaded some eggs into the flour, let it rest, and then pulled out the pasta roller. We always work as a team when we make pasta; I make the dough, my handsome man rolls it, and I catch it and make sure it doesn't end up on the floor. Ok, the truth is I stand around trying to seem useful while he totally has the rolling under control.
Have you tried making your own pasta before? We only do it a few times a year, and I'm always left wondering why we don't do it every week. It's simple to do and tastes about one bazillion times better than dried pasta.
No matter what you serve this turkey bolognese on it's crazy delicious. I had the leftovers on my usual zucchini noodles and the next day, and it was killer.
You might have noticed that I've put this turkey Bolognese in both the paleo and gluten-free sections here on TEM. I do feel a little bit bad teasing you with the pictures of it on real, homemade pasta. That's totally not a nice thing of me to do.
The thing is, you can eat this on whatever kind pasta or veggie noodles that you want. Did I already mention that it's great on zucchini noodles? 🙂
More Delicious Pasta Recipes:
- The Best Ever Spaghetti and Meatballs Recipe
- Spicy Chorizo Bolognese
- Deliciously Rich Lentil Bolognese
- Drunken Red Wine Spaghetti with Spicy Chorizo and Black Kale
- Sage Pumpkin Pasta Bake with Kale and Buttered Pecans
Leftover Turkey Bolognese Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 medium onion (finely minced)
- 1 medium red bell pepper (minced)
- 1 medium carrot (minced)
- 3 cloves garlic
- 5.5 ounce can tomato paste
- ½ cup red wine (or water)
- 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes
- 2 cups shredded turkey
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- Cooked pasta, chopped basil, and parmesan cheese (to serve)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft and brown, about 8 minutes. Add the bell pepper and carrot and continue to cook until both are soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more.1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 medium onion, 1 medium red bell pepper, 1 medium carrot, 3 cloves garlic
- Add the tomato paste to the pot and let it cook until it starts to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Pour the red wine or water into the pan and scrape to remove any bits that are stuck on the bottom.5.5 ounce can tomato paste, ½ cup red wine
- Add the crushed tomatoes, shredded turkey, honey, salt, pepper, and oregano and bring the pot to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, partly covered to reduce splatters, for 15 minutes.28 ounce can crushed tomatoes, 2 cups shredded turkey, 1 teaspoon honey, ½ teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon EACH: sea salt and pepper
- Serve on a bed of pasta with basil and a little parmesan.Cooked pasta, chopped basil, and parmesan cheese
Slow Cooker Method
- Follow steps 1 and 2. Then, pour everything from the pan into your crockpot, add the crushed tomatoes, shredded turkey, honey, and oregano and stir everything together. Set your crockpot to cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours. When the turkey Bolognese is ready, season it to taste with sea salt and pepper.
Nutrition
We have thoroughly tested this recipe for accuracy. However, individual results may vary. See our full recipe disclosure here.
For more inspiration, check out all of our turkey dinner leftovers recipes!
