Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese
Easy to make rich and rustic Slow Cooker Bolognese Sauce, packed with so much flavour to coat your pasta (or Zucchini noodles) of choice!
Servings: 8 serves
Calories: 220kcal
Ingredients
Bolognese Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 onions finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced (or 1 tablespoon minced garlic)
- 2 pounds (1 kg) lean ground beef
- 1/2 cup (125 ml) red wine or beef broth/stock (optional)
- 2 x 28-ounce cans of crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup (250 ml) beef stock
- 6 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 large carrot chopped
- 1 tablespoon stock powder or crushed beef bouillon
- 2-3 teaspoons salt adjust to your tastes
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano (or 1 teaspoon fresh oregano, finely chopped)
- 2 teaspoons dried basil (or 2 teaspoons fresh basil, finely chopped)
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- Cracked pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup fresh chopped parsley
To Serve:
- 17 ounces (500 g) dry pasta (spaghetti)
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or pan over medium-high heat. Sauté onion until softened. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Brown beef, breaking it apart with a wooden spoon, until just beginning to brown (about 2-3 minutes). Transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker bowl.
- Return the skillet to the stove; pour in the wine while scraping any bits of the fried meat from the pan. Bring to a gentle simmer and transfer to the slow cooker bowl.
- To the slow cooker bowl, add in the crushed tomatoes, beef stock, tomato paste, carrot, stock powder (or crushed bouillon cubes), salt, oregano, basil, sugar and pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6-7 hours, or high for 3-4 hours. Add in the chopped parsley before serving.
- In the last 15 minutes of cooking time, boil pasta in salted water following packet instructions.
- Drain, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water. Pour the reserved water back into the pasta along with 2 cups cooked bolognese sauce. Stir until the sauce is thick enough to coat the pasta.
- Serve with parmesan cheese and (extra) chopped parsley, if desired.
Notes
To freeze: cool completely before transferring any remaining sauce into air tight containers. I use disposable containers since the sauce tends to stain.
Nutrition information is based on per serve out of 9 serves. The recipe states serves 8, but you will have about 2 serves of left overs!
Nutrition information is based on per serve out of 9 serves. The recipe states serves 8, but you will have about 2 serves of left overs!
Nutrition
Calories: 220kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 7g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 70mg | Sodium: 682mg | Potassium: 686mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1855IU | Vitamin C: 8.2mg | Calcium: 45mg | Iron: 3.8mg