Best Slow Cooker Bolognese Recipes

SLOW-COOKER BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the bacon and mince in batches until browned. Add to your slow cooker.
• Add the onions, carrots, celery, garlic, mushrooms, tomatoes, tomato purée, herbs, wine (if using), vinegar, sugar and seasoning to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low for 6-8 hours, then uncover, turn to High and cook for another hour until thick and saucy.
• Serve with cooked spaghetti and grated or shaved parmesan. To cook this entire recipe on the hob, check out our big-batch Bolognese recipe.

THE BEST SLOW-COOKED BOLOGNESE SAUCE RECIPE

Steps:

• Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 300°F (150°C). Place stock in a medium bowl or 1-quart liquid measure and sprinkle with gelatin. Set aside. Purée tomatoes in the can using an immersion blender or transfer to the bowl of a countertop blender and purée until smooth. Transfer chicken livers to a cup that just fits head of immersion blender and purée until smooth.
• Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over high heat until shimmering. Add ground beef, pork, and lamb, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring and breaking up with a wooden spoon or potato masher until no longer pink, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in puréed chicken livers.
• Meanwhile, heat butter and pancetta in a large skillet over medium-high heat and cook, stirring frequently, until fat has mostly rendered but butter and pancetta have not yet started to brown, about 8 minutes. Add onion, carrots, celery, garlic, sage, and half of parsley and cook, stirring and tossing, until vegetables are completely softened but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add cooked vegetables to meat mixture.
• Return Dutch oven to high heat and cook, stirring, until most of the liquid has evaporated from the pan, about 10 minutes longer.
• Add wine and cook, stirring, until mostly evaporated. Add reserved stock, tomatoes, milk, and bay leaves. Season gently with salt and pepper.
• Bring sauce to a simmer, then transfer to oven, uncovered. 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. If sauce still looks liquid or fat has not separated and formed a thick layer after 4 hours, transfer to stovetop and finish cooking at a brisk simmer, stirring frequently.
• Carefully skim off most of the fat, leaving behind about 1 cup total. (For more precise measurement, skim completely, then add back 1 cup of fat.) Alternatively, let the sauce cool at this point and store in the fridge overnight to let the fat solidify and flavors meld. Then remove the solid fat, reserving a cup to add back in when the sauce is warmed.
• Stir in heavy cream, parmesan, fish sauce, and remaining parsley. Bring to a boil on stovetop, stirring constantly to emulsify. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bolognese can be cooled and stored in sealed containers in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or frozen for later use.
• To Serve: Heat sauce in a large pot until just simmering. Set aside. Cook pasta in a large pot of well-salted water until just barely al dente. Drain, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot and add just enough sauce to coat, along with some of the cooking liquid. Cook over high heat, tossing and stirring gently, until sauce is thick and pasta is coated, about 30 seconds. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve immediately, passing parmesan at the table.

SLOW COOKER BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Start by making a soffrito by finely dicing the onion, carrot and celery and placing in a pan with the oil. Turn the heat to medium low and sauté the vegetables until the onion is translucent (around 5 minutes). Next add the herbs and minced garlic and cook for a further 1 minute stirring through continuously. Pour all the vegetables into the slow cooker.
• Sprinkle the corn flour, salt, pepper and sugar over the vegetables and mix well.
• Return the pan to the stove and gently brown the beef mince over a medium heat. Fork the mince through to seperate the pieces and drain away any fat. Add the finely sliced and diced pancetta (allowing it to sit on the bottom of the pan so it has direct heat) and cook for a further minute until the pancetta turns pink. Add the meat to the slow cooker then pour over the milk and stir through.
• Now pour the red wine into the pan in which the meat was cooked and turn the heat to medium. The wine will bubble allowing the alcohol to evaporate and then it will reduce to a darker syrup (around 2-4 minutes). Remove it from the heat.
• Crumble the stock cube into the slow cooker then add the balsamic vinegar, tomato puree, chopped tomatoes and red wine syrup. Stir everything well to combine the ingredients and cook on low for 6-7 hours or high for 4 hours.
• Serve with freshly cooked pasta.

SLOW COOKER SPAGHETTI BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, and cook until translucent and sweet - around 7 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.
• Heat 1 tbsp oil in the same skillet and increase heat to high. Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until browned. Cook in 2 batches if your skillet is not large enough. Transfer to slow cooker.
• Return skillet to the stove, turn the stove down to medium and add red wine. Bring to simmer and scrape all the brown bits off the bottom of the skillet into the wine, then pour the mixture into the slow cooker.
• Add remaining ingredients into the slow cooker. Cook on Low for 6 hours.

SLOW-COOKER BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots and onions, season with salt and pepper and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute. Pour in the red wine and cook until it is mostly evaporated, about 3 minutes. Pour this mixture into a slow cooker.
• Pour the remaining 2 tablespoons oil into the skillet, add the beef and season with salt and pepper. Cook, breaking up any lumps, until it is nicely browned, about 15 minutes. Drain off any excess fat. Stir in the milk and cook until it is mostly absorbed by the meat, about 5 minutes. Add this to the slow cooker along with the tomatoes, oregano, basil, thyme, red pepper flakes, nutmeg and Parmesan rind if using. Add some salt. Give it a good stir, cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
• Skim off any fat on top and check the consistency. If it is too thick, add a bit of water. If it is too thin, cook for another 30 minutes with the cover off.
• Remove the rind and serve over spaghetti with lots of grated Parmesan and topped with fresh basil and parsley. Extra sauce can be frozen for later use.

SLOW COOKER BOLOGNESE SAUCE RECIPE

Steps:

• Combine ground beef, sausage, and pancetta in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high, stirring to break into small pieces, until browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer meat to a 6-quart slow cooker; reserve drippings in skillet.
• Add onion, celery, and carrots to hot drippings; cook over medium-high, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and tomato paste; cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add red wine; cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid has almost completely evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add onion mixture to slow cooker with meat. Stir in sugar, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Using your hands, crush tomatoes to break apart; add to slow cooker and stir. Cover and cook on LOW until flavors meld, about 6 hours. Remove and discard bay leaf.
• Cook pasta in salted water according to package directions. Drain well. Serve sauce over pasta; top with cheese and basil. Sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 5 days or frozen up to 3 months.

SLOW COOKER BOLOGNESE

Steps:

• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir the carrots, onion, and garlic until tender, about 10 minutes. Place the ground beef into the skillet and cook and stir, breaking up the meat as it cooks, until browned. Drain off excess fat from the skillet, and pour in 1 cup milk. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the milk is absorbed, about 15 minutes.
• Place the beef mixture into a slow cooker, and set the cooker to High. Stir in crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes, and cook for 2 hours. Mix in 1/2 cup milk and Parmesan cheese, stir well, and cook for 2 more hours.