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Bolognese with spaghetti in the slow cooker.
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5 from 217 votes

Slow Cooker Bolognese {No Browning Recipe!}

This Slow Cooker Bolognese recipe is so easy - no browning needed. Just leave it to cook all day and come home to a thick, rich beef ragu. Perfect to top spaghetti or use in lasagne.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time8 hours
Total Time8 hours 15 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Italian
Servings: 4 People
Author: Sarah Rossi

Ingredients

To Slow Cook:

  • 500 g Beef mince
  • 800 g Tinned tomatoes 2 x 400g cans
  • 3 Sticks of celery Chopped finely
  • 3 Carrots Peeled and chopped finely
  • 1 Onion Peeled and chopped finely
  • 6 Cloves of garlic Peeled and crushed
  • 75 g Tomato pureé
  • 125 ml Red wine
  • 2 Beef stock cubes
  • 2 tsp Dried oregano
  • 3 Bay leaves
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

To Serve:

  • 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 15 g Fresh basil Finely chopped

Instructions

  • Put all of the slow cook ingredients into the slow cooker and cook for 6 hours on HIGH or 8 hours on LOW.
  • Add the Worcestershire sauce and fresh basil.

Optional:

  • If you want to serve with spaghetti, boil the spaghetti for 2-3 minutes less than the usual cooking time. Drain and add to the bolognese sauce, with a splash or two of reserved cooking water. Stir well and allow the pasta to absorb the sauce a little and soften.

Notes

Mince: Chopping your mince finely before adding to the slow cooker will avoid any big meat lumps
Bay leaves: Fresh or dried is fine, remove before serving
Vegetables: I buy a 'soffritto' mix if available to save having to chop the celery, carrots and onions. A 400g or 500g bag is fine. It might be called ‘vegetable base mix’ or something similar in some supermarkets
Nutritional information: The nutritional information does not include any spaghetti or other dishes to serve

Nutrition

Calories: 321kcal | Carbohydrates: 28g | Protein: 32g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 78mg | Sodium: 933mg | Potassium: 1489mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 8528IU | Vitamin C: 29mg | Calcium: 156mg | Iron: 7mg