Crock-Pot Turkey Bolognese Sauce Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How to thicken up bolognese sauce in a slow cooker? ›

A slurry is a mixture of flour and water, whisked together until smooth and added towards the end of cooking; it's a super-simple way to thicken any soup. For slow cooker soups, add your slurry with at least 30 minutes of cook time left so that the raw flour can cook and thicken the soup.

You can also add a cornstarch slurry to the sauce to thicken it. Be careful not to add too much cornstarch or the sauce may thicken too much. 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.

Bolognese is a kind of ragù (the Italian word for meat sauce), original from Bologna, Italy. It's very different from your usual American meat sauce, often a tomato-based sauce simmered with ground beef. Bolognese is much thicker, creamier (milk is one of the ingredients) and with just a touch of tomato.

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.

For the bolognese all spice, cinnamon, and garlic powder really enhance the flavor of the meat. For the tomato sauce, fresh basil, bay leaves, and dried oregano are my herbs of choice, but feel free to mix it up! You can use dried basil, generic Italian seasoning, parsley, thyme.

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.

First, mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with one tablespoon of water to make a cornstarch slurry. Add the slurry directly to the spaghetti sauce as it's cooking on low heat. Stir continuously until the sauce reaches the desired consistency, and you'll be good to go.

5) Adding Cornstarch Slurry

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.

Cook, stirring and scraping down sides of pot occasionally, until liquid has almost completely reduced and sauce is rich and thick underneath a heavy layer of fat, 3 to 4 hours.

Like most recipes the longer you leave it to slowly cook the better the flavour will be but this can also be knocked up with in an hour.

Should I add pasta water to Bolognese sauce? ›

No matter what sauce you're making—whether it's a chunky marinara, a rich and hearty ragù Bolognese, or a simple carbonara—it should acquire a creamy texture that clings to the noodles. I start by stirring in a couple of tablespoons of pasta water per serving of pasta and sauce.

It's simply the mixture of finely diced onion, celery, carrot, garlic and herbs that is the starting point of the sauce. Sautéed in olive oil until soft with just a hint of caramelisation, a good soffritto imparts incredible flavour to the minced meat, tomato and stock once they are added to the pot.

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).

Cook and stir ground beef and pork in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease. Stir bacon mixture, tomatoes, mushrooms, tomato sauce, carrots, celery, wine, stock, basil, oregano, salt, and pepper into meat mixture. Bring to a boil.

Fresh herbs are great, but dried herbs have concentrated flavour in them – plus, you will usually already have them in the cupboard! Dried oregano, basil and thyme are perfect to add to a 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.

Beef bouillon cubes (beef stock cubes) for extra depth of flavour in the sauce, to compensate for this being an everyday midweek version rather than a traditional slow cooked Bolognese Ragu which starts with a soffrito (onion, celery, carrot slowly sautéed) as well as pancetta.