Slow Cooker Turkey & Sweet Potato Stew with Garlic & Winter Spices

There’s a moment every November—usually the first Saturday after we’ve turned the clocks back—when I feel the season shift. The light slants differently through the kitchen window, the maple out front drops its final confetti of leaves, and the air smells like woodsmoke and possibility. That’s the day I haul the slow cooker out from its summer exile, give it a quick rinse, and start layering in the ingredients for this stew. It’s become our family’s official “welcome, winter” ritual: cubes of orange sweet potato nestled against ivory shreds of turkey, whole cloves of garlic that soften into buttery pockets of flavor, and a snowfall of warming spices that make the whole house smell like the inside of a cinnamon stick. My kids swear they can smell it from the bus stop; my neighbors have started dropping by with empty Tupperware “just in case.”

What I love most is that this recipe asks almost nothing of you—five minutes of chopping, a quick sear if you’re feeling fancy, then the slow cooker takes over while you rake leaves, string lights, or binge-watch holiday baking shows under a blanket. Eight hours later you lift the lid and the steam that curls up smells like every good memory you’ve ever had in December. It’s lean protein and complex carbs disguised as pure comfort, and it freezes like a dream so you can stock the chest freezer before the holiday chaos hits. Whether you’re feeding a crowd on game day, gifting a meal to new parents, or simply feeding yourself something nourishing between gift-wrapping marathons, this stew is the culinary equivalent of a hand-knit scarf—practical, beautiful, and made with love.

Ingredients You'll Need

Great stew starts at the grocery store. Look for long, firm sweet potatoes—often labeled “garnet yams”—with tight, unwrinkled skin; they’ll be candy-sweet and velvety after eight hours. For turkey, I buy a 2½-pound bone-in turkey breast; the bone acts like a flavor bomb and the skin renders just enough fat to gloss the broth. If you’re in a hurry, boneless breast or even leftover roast turkey works—just reduce the cook time by an hour.

Garlic is the quiet star. Grab two whole bulbs, break them apart, and leave the cloves unpeeled; the skins protect them from turning bitter and slip off easily after cooking. Onion-wise, a yellow storage onion is fine, but if you spot sweet Vidalia grab it—it melts into silky threads that disappear into the gravy. For stock, I’m loyal to low-sodium chicken broth so I can control salt; if you have homemade turkey stock, gold star for you. The spice lineup—cinnamon stick, star anise, smoked paprika, and a whisper of cloves—gives the stew a subtle chai-like fragrance; if star anise feels esoteric, swap in ½ tsp fennel seeds. Finally, a splash of apple-cider vinegar at the end brightens everything the way a string of lights brightens a gloomy porch.

How to Make Slow Cooker Turkey & Sweet Potato Stew with Garlic & Winter Spices

Expert Tips

Variations to Try

• Butternut & Lentil: Replace sweet potatoes with butternut cubes and add ¾ cup green lentils; increase broth by 1 cup.
• Moroccan Twist: Add 1 tsp ground cumin, ½ tsp coriander, and a handful of dried apricots in the last hour.
• Creamy Coconut: Stir in ½ cup full-fat coconut milk at the end for a tropical, dairy-free richness.
• Spicy Kick: Add 1 minced chipotle in adobo and ½ tsp cayenne for smoky heat that balances the sweet potatoes.
• Instant Pot Speed: High pressure 25 minutes, natural release 10 minutes; shred turkey and return to pot on SAUTÉ with kale.

Storage Tips

Refrigerate: Cool stew completely, then transfer to airtight containers. It keeps 4 days in the fridge and tastes even better on day two once the spices mingle.

Freeze: Portion into quart-size freezer bags, press out excess air, and freeze flat up to 3 months. Label with the date and the subtle note “contains star anise” so spice-averse eaters are warned.

Reheat: Thaw overnight in the fridge. Warm gently in a saucepan over medium-low, adding a splash of broth or water to loosen. Microwave works too—cover and heat 2 minutes, stir, then 1-2 minutes more.

Make-Ahead: Assemble everything except the kale in the slow-cooker insert the night before, cover, and refrigerate. In the morning set the cold insert into the base and add an extra 30 minutes to the cook time.

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Slow Cooker Turkey & Sweet Potato Stew with Garlic & Winter Spices

(4.9 from 127 reviews)

Prep

15 min

Cook

8 hr

Servings

6

Ingredients

• 2½ lb bone-in turkey breast, skin on
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, halved
• 2 whole garlic bulbs, broken into unpeeled cloves
• 2 lb sweet potatoes, peeled & cubed 1-inch
• 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1 star anise pod
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme (or ½ tsp dried)
• 1 bay leaf
• ⅛ tsp ground cloves
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt, plus more to taste
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 2 cups chopped kale or spinach
• 1 Tbsp apple-cider vinegar
• Optional: Greek yogurt & parsley for garnish

Instructions

1. Brown the turkey: Heat olive oil in a skillet; sear turkey breast skin-side down 4 min, flip 2 min. Transfer to slow cooker.
2. Char aromatics: In same skillet, sear onion halves & garlic cloves 2 min; scrape into cooker.
3. Add vegetables & spices: Top with sweet potatoes, broth, cinnamon, star anise, paprika, thyme, bay leaf, cloves, salt & pepper.
4. Slow cook: Cover; cook LOW 8 hr or HIGH 4 hr until turkey shreds easily.
5. Shred & finish: Remove turkey; discard skin/bones. Shred meat; skim fat. Return meat to pot with kale & vinegar; cover 5 min.
6. Serve: Taste, adjust salt, and ladle into bowls with desired garnishes.

Recipe Notes

For extra depth, deglaze the searing skillet with ¼ cup broth and pour those browned bits into the slow cooker. The whole garlic cloves become sweet and spreadable—encourage guests to squeeze them onto crusty bread.

Nutrition (per serving)

368

Calories

42g

Protein

32g

Carbs

9g

Fat